Houston Furniture Bank

Claim to Fame

Electricity bill savings will allow HFB to provide beds for 1,821 kids who were previously sleeping on the floor.

In 1992, the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County (MHMRA) initiated the Houston Furniture Bank to serve patients who were transitioning out of mental health facilities. Now, Houston Furniture Bank has a Mattress Recycling Center, Mattress Manufacturing and the Outlet Center all under one roof.

Today, more than 50,000 children sleep in beds and are able to sit at a table to share their meals instead of using discarded cardboard boxes. In total, Houston Furniture Bank has served more than 80,000 individuals since 1992.

The Houston Furniture Bank is one of three organizations given a grant to be trained on mattress recycling in the Nation and the only in Texas. Each year, 700,000 mattresses are dumped in Houston. Houston Furniture Bank recycled 20,000 of these in 2019 alone. Mattresses are 90% recyclable, so they saved 460,000 cubic ft. of landfill space — a sustainable act that also gives the nonprofit additional revenue.

Over 40% of the Houston Furniture Bank staff are employees of Second Chance, which is in an effort to change perceptions, rebuild lives and help stop reoffences.

Through a Sun Club grant of $169,000, the Houston Furniture Bank will install 85.47 kW of solar, resulting in cost savings that will provide additional bedding, shelter space and more.