As Denver Mayor Mike Johnston works to fulfill his campaign promises of “ending homelessness,” including his latest proposal to raise Denver’s sales tax by 0.5% to fund affordable housing solutions, the difficult question arises: what do people do once they are off the streets? Since the city has yet to provide a strong solution to help Denver’s unhoused find furniture once they have been given affordable housing, EmilyJane Zahreddine has stepped in to make that easier for them by launching On the House.
Her company is a furniture bank that allows our unhoused neighbors to “shop” for the perfect items to furnish their brand-new homes. “When I talked with caseworkers in the unhoused space, I realized that there were probably kids sleeping without beds or doing their homework without a dinner table, and that really upset me,” said Zahreddine.
After 13 years in Washington, D.C., working as a Homeland Security and Emergency Manager for both the federal and local governments, Zahreddine relocated to Denver in 2020 to pursue her career with her company, Golden Hour Preparedness, located across the street from Coors Field. One morning, she had a change of heart.
“I would drive down past the park every morning at six in the morning because I am up really early, and it would be hard to see all of our unhoused neighbors out and about,” said Zahreddine. “That’s their time; that’s when there are fewer cars out, and it’s safer for them to be out; it was just really hard to see. I decided to shut down my business last May, and I spent last summer deciding what I could do to have the biggest impact in the unhoused space in Denver. It was arguably the biggest issue in the mayoral election last summer, and I really wanted to find a way to contribute in a way that suited my skills rather than going out and finding new skills to plug into.”
As Zahreddine searched for a way to use her skill for good in our community, a glaring problem stood out to her: a lack of accessible furniture for the unhoused.
“There is no regional solution to the furniture situation; if you are unhoused or coming out of difficult life circumstances and moving into affordable housing with a caseworker, there is no centralized location or resource in the Denver Metro to get furniture and houseware,” Zahreddine said. “If you were to go to Goodwill or Arc, you would have to spend $1200 to $1800 to get the same package that we supply individuals and families with; that’s just a huge financial burden for someone who just won the lottery of affordable housing.”
Zahreddine started On the House in May 2024. The public benefit corporation works in partnership with Furnishing Hope Junk Removal, which sustainably removes and refurbishes furniture in the area. The idea was developed and inspired by the Chicago Furniture Bank, which does furniture junk removal and then turns it around to give back to the unhoused.
“They are the ones who said you could do a furniture bank, but you kind of have to run a junk hauling company,” Zahreddine said. “That’s where I got that concept; in order to run a successful non-profit organization like this, I need to have a junk removal company as well,” Zahreddine said.
The pickup process is simple. If you want to donate items to the cause, On the House charges a fee based on the volume of the items removed, which is typical of most junk removal companies. However, instead of delivering them to a landfill, they will bring them back to their warehouse, where the company cleans and refurbishes them to be reused in our community. The newly housed person will make an appointment during the week and then get two hours to “shop” for furniture at the warehouse. Their caseworkers pay a fee to On the House for the service and delivery and installation of the furniture in a new home.  Â
The front of the warehouse is filled with countless rows of couches, sofas and chairs, all laid out to truly give it a shopping feel. Shelves are stacked with beautiful vases, greenery, and other items to decorate the home.
Towards the back of the warehouse are the tables, desks, and cabinets, ranging from beautiful rosewood vanities to little granite tables; the options are plentiful without feeling cramped. The variety sets this furniture bank apart from others; in some places, you may only get what is available, but here you have options.
“We really want people to be able to take their time when they’re picking out a whole household’s worth of things,” Zahreddine said. “You want to make sure things match and look right, and that is where they find dignity in this experience. You can give people plates and dishes all day, but that’s not the same as letting them pick their own couch out of fifty of them.”
Zahreddine mentions the word dignity frequently throughout her work. She believes it is the most crucial aspect of the work they do there and what separates them from the rest.
“Dignity is the opportunity for choice,” said Zahreddine. “To me, it instills a sense of pride and a sense of belonging and membership to our community that I think our unhoused neighbors do not have when they are in the unhoused space.”
All the work that On the House does is sustainable; if the donations they receive are unusable, they will break them down and recycle and discard them in the most sustainable way possible within the Colorado guidelines. The goal for On the House is to be statewide in the next few years and establish a larger, more regional donation center that allows for more donations with no fees.
“If you’re sleeping on the floor, that is a very different situation than if you’re able to sit on your couch at the end of the day,” said Zahreddine.