Feeling like home at Hanna Center

Since June of 2022, the nonprofit furniture bank Make It Home has donated and installed 35 residence-rooms on the Hanna Center campus.

“The rooms don’t feel institutional because all the furnishings are different and coordinated,” says Scott Singer, VP of Hanna Center Residential Programs. “They feel like home.” 

The furnished rooms provide residences for youth transitioning out of foster care.

Started by interior designer Carolyn Rebuffel Flannery two years ago, Make it Home operates on 100 percent donations and serves all Bay Area counties. A core group of approximately a dozen volunteers led by Kendall Galli and Jen Venne deliver and installs the furnishings, which includes sofas, tables, kitchenware, artwork, fans, heaters, lamps, etc. 

“We’re so proud to work with Hanna Center on setting up welcoming, unique rooms for the youth coming out of the foster care system. This is a cause near and dear to our hearts. By collecting new and gently used furniture, we aim to reduce waste and help those who need it most,” says Susan Brennan, board member at ‘Make It Home Bay Area.’

Make It Home also provided new mattresses, bedding and pillows and connected Hanna with an individual who donated gym equipment with new lockers. 

The non-profit solves two problems by collecting, repurposing and curating gently used furnishings and household goods, saving them from landfills and providing sets of essential home items for many families, foster youth, and individuals in the Bay Area. 

“We are so grateful for this incredible partnership,” continued Singer. “The love and care put into decorating these rooms is evident when you see how unique each room is – just as unique as the youths who will occupy them.”