Homestore

HomeStore works to enable low-income households to access affordable furniture.

Each day, HomeStore sends out two vans to collect unwanted furniture from east London homes and deliver it to low-income households.

Paul Allchorne, driver at HomeStore describes his work:

I drive, collect and deliver furniture. That’s the basis of it - it’s a simple idea: some people have got furniture they don’t want that they’ll just throw away, other people need furniture but can’t afford it. People living on benefits and low incomes are referred here.

People come into our warehouse here and look round at the furniture we’ve been donated and choose what they want. Then we deliver it to them. I’m the longest serving staff member at QSA having worked at HomeStore for sixteen years. When I think about the church we started out in, this store is like Buckingham Palace! We had no hot water, no proper roof because someone had nicked all the slates, water pouring through, pigeons living in there with us. Jim, the project manager, has had it all painted, made it look like a proper shop, a better environment for people to look round.

I enjoy the driving but it’s hard work lifting furniture about. I’ve learned so much and do everyday. You meet all sorts of people, newly arrived refugees who’ve escaped their own country, have come here and moved out of a hostel into an empty flat. It’s the same if you’ve just come out of prison. And lots of people just on their uppers who can’t afford to go to a pricey furniture store. I’ve learned about other people’s religions and the cultures of those who’ve moved and become east Londoners. You have to be quite good with people, it’s not just a case of loading and unloading furniture. Some of the people we deliver to probably don’t see anyone else day to day, so you stop and chat. It’s as much about those conversations, hearing what’s going on in their life, making connections where you can.

I normally have one or two other people with me in the vans - people from Community Links, which is associated with the Job Centre, people on community service and volunteers. It works really well. I get some help and they learn some skills. In the early days, it was all people with learning difficulties. I had a cousin with Down’s Syndrome so that combination of working with people with special needs, driving and helping people out really appealed to me. We now have people with learning difficulties working in the workshop. I’ve seen QSA change a lot in that time. When I started out it was basically just HomeStore. It’s grown so much since then. I’ve been here so long because I enjoy it so much.

If you are interested contact HomeStore or download a Leaflet (PDF) .

Links to more information and organisations concerned with re-use and recycling.

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Charity Registration No: 1069157 · Company Registration No: 3524063