In August of 2004, the founder of Off the Floor Pittsburgh felt called to stop her car and offer help to a woman with two young daughters who were living in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. She discovered that the family had no beds, no tables, and no chairs. Working with volunteers from her local church, they were able to locate and deliver the furniture which the family needed.
Soon they discovered that nearly every family on that street was in the same dire straits; they realized that they had been called to an ongoing effort. Volunteers from that church managed to provide for the needs of those additional families over a period of months. Off the Floor Pittsburgh had been born.
Over three years, the ministry grew, as did the number of families helped. A Board of Directors was established. Ad hoc volunteer groups were replaced by volunteer teams based in half a dozen local churches to pick up and deliver donated future on a rotating schedule. Rented trucks replaced caravans of pick ups, minivans and station wagons. Used furniture was stored in rental storage units until a delivery could be completed. Part-time employees replaced volunteers to plan and manage weekly pick up and delivery trips. Health and social service agencies discovered Off the Floor Pittsburgh and began to refer clients who were living without furniture.
Today Off the Floor is led by Exective Director Cathy Lueers and is supported by hundreds of volunteers. Leased warehousse space from Pittsburgh Presbytery and the acquisition of a 15 foot box truck are enabling Off the Floor to grow dramatically.
Typically the families helped by Off the Floor Pittsburgh are headed by women with 2-3 children. Their circumstances vary. Sometimes the furniture they receive allow mothers and children to be reunited (or prevent them from being separated). Some families had been illegally evicted or had suffered a disastrous fire, causing them to lose all of their belongings. Two young families had recently come to Pittsburgh from Somalia. Families in 31 different zip codes in the greater Pittsburgh area have been helped so far. In 2010, our goal is to deliver furniture to 100 families.
The referral agencies that partner with Off the Floor Pittsburgh can readily refer clients in need of basic beds, tables and chairs. They reinforce our experience that there are countless poor families and individuals in the Pittsburgh region who desperately need the services of Off the Floor Pittsburgh in order to live with dignity. At any given time, there is usually a backlog of more than thirty potential recipients.