Question 1

What is Home Tomorrow?

Accepted Answer

Home Tomorrow partners with other non-profit social service agencies to provide their clients transitioning from homelessness to a place of their own with a wide variety of gently used furniture and home furnishings, free of charge, to help make shelter today into a home tomorrow.

Question 2

Do you still promote affordable homeownership similar to what you previously did with Habitat for Humanity?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We still currently help those in need make homeownership affordable. Our most recent endeavor subsidized a $175,000 condominium purchase (which building we constructed) for the buyer whose income could only afford approximately $100,000 of the purchase price. As a result, we provided the ($75,000) excess balance (plus closing costs) of support through a zero interest, zero installment, zero maturity, zero balloon
deferred payment loan for as long as the owner holds title to the property, which means all that the homeowner needs to pay each month is the $100,000 mortgage. Only when the property is sold is the excess amount we provided becomes due, and not a penny more.

Through this financing approach, the homeowner, whose income qualifies for only a $100,000 mortgage, is still possible because we, as the builder and original owner of the property, are able to defer payment of the excess amount until the property is eventually sold. As a result, affordable homeownership is possible and our community benefits.

Unfortunately, we can no longer afford to build and repair homes. Land acquisition costs in the Northeast US, construction materials, combined with mortgage lending and mortgage servicing regulations prohibit smaller community-centric organizations, like ours, from affording and managing construction and mortgages affordably.

Instead, we realized that for the 3-year timeframe and $300,000 cost to serve just one family, for the same investment and timeframe, we can now serve thousands of families.

For nearly 3 decades, we took great joy in handing over the keys of a new home to families who otherwise would not be able to afford a home. However, the needs of our community have become more immediate and more urgent than home ownership. Specifically, it is difficult for us to accept the notion of spending 3 years and $300,000 to help just one family, which same funds and amount of time spent could help thousands of families whose needs are much more basic - affordable housing. We continue to endorse and support the mission of Habitat for Humanity, whose mission has helped so many families throughout the world. Still, we don’t have to look far to see and address the dire needs of our own local community, which are far more urgent than affordable homeownership.

Question 3

What types of home furnishings do you need?

Accepted Answer

We seek 2 types of household furnishings:
 
1) Practical Needs
Our Partner Agency Clients are often coming from transitional housing and often do not even have a bed to sleep on at the end of the day or a kitchen table to gather around and break bread. Our list of most needed items include:
 
- Beds and bedding - mattresses and box springs, bed frames, bureaus, dressers, nightstands and bed linens
- Kitchen & Dining - Kitchen/dining room tables & chairs, dishes, glasses, flatware, pots & pans & bowls, cooking utensils, small appliances & bakeware
- Living Room - sofas/loveseats, coffee tables, end tables, lamps, accent chairs, area rugs
- Bathroom - Bath towels, hand towels, washcloths, shower curtain & shower rod
 
Our clients need almost everything required to set up a basic household except clothing, food and toys. We kindly ask that donations be in "gently used" condition, free of rips, stains, soiling and breakage. Please refer to our donation guidelines for more information on what we accept.
 
2) Salable Items
There are often other wonderful and extravagant donations of home furnishings kindly offered to us, which are impractical to donate; however, proceeds from its sale helps leverage our ability to serve more clients in need, such as to purchase bed pillows, pots & pans, cleaning supplies and transportation assistance. Great examples of salable donations include:
 
- King size mattresses
- Kitchen cabinetry
- Kitchen appliances
- Washers & Dryers
- Flooring
- Other luxurious home furnishings
- Home tools
- Large bulk donations
 
The proceeds from these finer furnishings provide us with the ability to purchase, repair, clean or revitalize needed household items that are otherwise destined for our local landfills.

Question 4

Do you also need financial support?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Funny how expensive it can be to give things away.

We haven’t yet convinced our landlord and utility services, insurers and accountants to donate their goods and services to us, but not without trying. We also require a small staff who manages our organization’s needs and coordinates a cadre of loyal volunteers; specifically, an executive director, donation center manager, volunteer coordinator and 2 truck staff members to pick-up donations. Until we can find a way to receive all these services pro-bono, we have to rely on the generous financial support from our community members like you. Please check out our Donate Funds page for additional information of where your treasures are needed and where your treasures are spent.

Question 5

Can I receive a tax receipt for my donation?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when you donate your furniture or home furnishings or have large items picked up, we provide a tax receipt for your generous donation. Home Tomorrow is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization (Tax ID # 02-0456805).

Question 6

Who do I make my check out to and what is your mailing address?

Accepted Answer

Please make your check payable to Home Tomorrow.
Our mailing address is:
Home Tomorrow, Inc.
PO Box 67
Manchester, NH 03105-0067
 
For your convenience, you can also donate online.
 
There are other ways to financially support (javascript:void(0))us (javascript:void(0))as well.

Question 7

How do I donate my home furnishings to Home Tomorrow?

Accepted Answer

All donations are by appointment only. We warmly welcome most offers to donate home furnishings. However, we cannot accept all donation offers, mainly because of our limited space, but also because each donation must be of decent quality, clean, and in good working condition.

In order to make a donation, please contact us first in order that we may screen the donation and have the space to accept it. When you contact us, we will kindly ask that you provide us with the following information: 
 • Your name
 • The town you live in
 • The items you wish to donate (we will require photos)
 • Any defects in the donation, i.e., rips, stains, tears, etc. (we will require photos)
 • Pickup or drop-off restrictions or deadlines

You may contact us by any of the following:

Call us:
Simply call 603.792-0460

Email us:
pickup@hometomorrow.org
Please include the information requested above.
We will contact you to confirm your donation offer.

Text us:
603.722-8036

Please include the information requested above. We will contact you to confirm your donation offer. Please see a more comprehensive description of our Donation Guidelines.(javascript:void(0))
 
Donations of your home furnishings (by appointment) may be brought to our facility located at 451 S. River Rd, Bedford (Bedford U-Haul storage center). As you might guess, because we operate out of a storage space, we are extremely limited by the items we can accept.
 
We also accommodate pick up of certain large donations, such as furniture. Pickup of donations can be scheduled on Tuesdays through Fridays and we’re open from 9am-4pm on most days. Please check our Home page (javascript:void(0))for holiday scheduling and other timely announcements

Question 8

Do you have guidelines for the condition of donated home furnishings?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our general rule for accepting furniture and other home furnishings is that they must be clean and in good working or "gently used" condition. Unfortunately, we cannot accept items that are broken, torn, stained or soiled, no matter how small the imperfection.
 
Please see our Donation Guidelines.(javascript:void(0))

Question 9

Do you pick up donations?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We have pick up service available for large essential items. We typically serve the Greater Manchester and Nashua areas, including Amherst, Auburn, Bedford, Candia, Derry, Goffstown, Hollis, Hooksett, Hudson, Litchfield, Londonderry, Manchester, Merrimack, Milford, Nashua, Windham and other locations. Also, depending on the size of the donation and our need, we are able to schedule service to Concord and other areas north. Please call 603.792.0460 to schedule your donation pick up.
 
To see our donation procedure, please see the FAQ: 
“How do I donate my home furnishings to Home Tomorrow?”, above.

Question 10

How does a family or individual in need get help from Home Tomorrow?

Accepted Answer

If you are in need or know of someone in need of furniture or home furnishings, we’re here to help get you to 1st base. (That is what our mission is all about!) The process begins with a referral from one of our Partner Agencies, which has the resources to qualify and quantify one’s needs. 
 
No request for home furnishings can be made without a Partner Agency referral.
 
The link to a partial list of Partner Agencies with whom we partner or able to partner can be found HERE,(javascript:void(0)) which we periodically update.
 
For Partner Agency representatives wishing for the first time to refer a client to us to receive our free services, simply contact us and let us know that you wish to register as a Partner Agency:

Email: referral@hometomorrow.org
Telephone: 603.626.3944  Option-2
 
Following verification and a brief orientation, the Partner Agency representative will be able to refer as many clients in need as desired.

Question 11

Do you accept office furniture and office equipment?

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, we don’t have the space to accept donated office furniture and office equipment at this time. There are other nonprofit organizations that will gladly accept your office-related donations.

Question 12

Will my donation directly benefit a family or individual in need?

Accepted Answer

Often, your donation goes directly to a family or an individual in need. However, if you specifically direct your donation to a family or individual in need, we are able to honor your specific request.
 
There are a number of reasons we may decide to sell your furniture or household donation. Often, the greatest reason is that a particular donation, if sold, could help more than one family or individual than by simply donating directly to a recipient. For example, a gorgeous multi-piece mahogany 8-chair dining room set with a hutch or curio purchased originally for $2,500 and in pristine condition might quickly sell in our thrift store for $800, which proceeds could benefit two decent and more practical 4 or 6-chair pine dining room sets, which, in turn, could benefit more than one family.
Another reason that your donation may not be practical to donate to a family in need. For example, we gladly accept kitchen cabinets and appliances, washers and dryers and stoves and ovens. These are items that are often already provided as an appliance in a standard apartment and are typically not needed by a family who often arrives at an apartment from transitional housing with not much more than the clothes on their back.
The sale of these donations afford us the opportunity to purchase provisions that typically convert a dank shelter into a warm home, or to provide the financial assistance needed for a donation recipient to rent a truck for transport, which most often represents the greatest barrier to clients’ abilities to receive donated home furnishings.
The same benefit could apply to the donation of an overstuffed $2,000 king mattress, which sale at a discounted price could possibly provide for several queen or twin mattresses, is far more practical for moving and accommodating limited room space. The list of reasons goes on.

Question 13

Do you accept food, clothing, or toys?"

Accepted Answer

We are sorry to say that we do not have the capacity to accept food, clothing or toys. Please see our Donation Guidelines.(javascript:void(0)) However, there are other nonprofit organizations throughout our community, such as food pantries and Goodwill, that gladly accept clothing, toys, and food.

Question 14

How does a social service organization become a Partner Agency of Home Tomorrow?

Accepted Answer

We have come to learn the adage, “It is expensive to give things away”. The sheer logistics of accepting, picking up, processing, inspecting, cleaning, and repairing donations, merchandising them, giving them away, and staging them for pick up can be a costly proposition for a small organization like ours, which is why we must partner with organizations who provide housing assistance to families and individuals in need. 
Partner Agencies must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, whose policies and procedures qualify and quantify the needs of families and individuals who seek assistance.
 
As faithful stewards of the donations of home furnishings we humbly receive, as well as the personal treasure and time graciously donated to our mission by generous and compassionate volunteers, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that we provide for one’s needs rather than for one’s wants. By partnering with an organization whose mission blends with ours and can qualify and quantify household needs, we can more effectively and efficiently serve more families throughout our community, which are great, both, in need and in scope.
 
In addition to serving as our communications intermediary with the client, we require Partner Agencies to ensure the following with their clients in order for our donation process to be successful and sustainable:
 
1. To qualify and quantify the home furnishing needs of their recipient clients; this is often accomplished by performing an "intake" of the client/client family.
2. That their client recipients effectively arrange for the transportation and help needed to pick up and deliver their procured donations; and
3. That their client recipients arrive on time to pick up their donations as scheduled.
 
If a Partner Agency is willing and able to help ensure the fulfillment of their client obligations, we would love to partner!

Question 15

How else can I support Home Tomorrow?

Accepted Answer

We are sooo glad you asked. -:)
 
In addition to your treasure, there are 3 other ways friends of Home Tomorrow can help advance our mission:
 
 • Your Time. Do you have a few hours each week or each month to dedicate to a meaningful and impactful mission? If so, you will feel great knowing that your contribution is making a difference in the lives of others.

• Your Talent. Perhaps you may not have as much time as you have talent. Perhaps you can offer your talent or services and partner with other executives in your field of expertise to help create a program or make our operations run better, whether managing people, bookkeeping, finances, logistics, legal, web optimization, graphic design or videography, and so much more; and

• Your Spheres of Influence. Perhaps you may not have as much time or talent because, as a C-level executive, where time can be more valuable than gold, you manage those who do have such talents and/or time. Perhaps you know of someone with a special talent who can serve one of our needs who is looking to become part of something special. We welcome any opportunity you might have to join in our effort.

Learn of the many ways you can Volunteer!(javascript:void(0))