According to forrent.com average person in the US spends about $8,176 on apartment furniture. Keeping in mind that the average cost of a sofa is $1,024 getting free furniture might save you a lot of money.
You can get free furniture in multiple ways: browsing free listings and groups online or contacting non-profit charity organizations and combining multiple sources you can furnish your home in no time.
Compare the best ways to get free furniture:
| Method | Best for | How to? |
|---|---|---|
| Hope to Dream Program | Underprivileged children | Submit request |
| St. Vincent de Paul | Those living in poverty | Contact local bank or fill in online form |
| Furniture banks | Those living in poverty | Contact local organization |
| The Salvation Army | Those in need | Apply to local organization |
| Catholic Charities | Those in need | Contact local church |
| Heroes Warehouse | Veterans and their families in need | Contact via online form, phone or email |
| Red Cross | Those in need | Contact via online form, phone or email |
| Craigslist | Everyone | Browse free listings |
| Facebook Marketplace | Everyone | Browse free listings |
| Nextdoor | Everyone | Browse free listings |
| BuyNothing | Everyone | Browse free listings, ad posts |
| Freecycle | Everyone | Browse free listings |
| Curbside Finds | Everyone | Check out left out furniture |
| College Campuses on Move-out Day | Students | Check out left out furniture |
Ways to Get Free Furniture:
Hope to Dream Program
Ashley Furniture gives away free beds to children aged 3-16 years from underprivileged backgrounds through their Hope to Dream program.
Hope to Dream is developed as a non-profit organization that believes that every child must have a goodnight’s sleep. Since 2010 they have given away more than 140,000 beds.
All the children in need can be nominated for free beds by submitting a request in the local Ashley Furniture store or via the online form and the selected ones will get a standard twin-size mattress.
Eligibility typically depends on the case, but generally needs to meet these criteria:
- Underprivileged children aged 3-16 years
- Do not possess a bed
- Belong to the low-income family
- Lives in poverty or transitioning from homelessness due to some crisis
- Nominated by some social worker, church, or any other charity organization
St. Vincent de Paul
St. Vincent de Paul is a catholic organization where many people are joined together in many states to serve those in need and suffering, for their spiritual growth. Over 350,000 persons are helped annually through St. Vincent de Paul.
To get Free Furniture, you can contact the local furniture bank by Catholic Churches. They have also designed the Household Basics Help Request Form, through which they can provide furniture, tables, and chairs. Once the form is submitted, you will be responded in 3 to 4 weeks and a visit to your house will be scheduled to determine your household needs.
The area of their service includes:
- Marion County
- Indiana and adjacent areas of Greenwood
- Whiteland
- New Whiteland
- Avon
- Brownsburg
- Plainfield
However, their area of service is limited to the above-mentioned areas but people from outside these areas can also contact them for assistance as they work differently in different states.
Furniture banks
Furniture banks are non-profit organizations providing free furniture to the local community that is suffering from poverty or is in need of assistance. There are over 120 furniture banks that are working in North America.
There is a Furniture Bank Network through which many Furniture Banks are working collaboratively to provide free furniture to the needy ones. You can find there, those furniture banks that serve in your locality.
The community appreciates the presence of Furniture banks as about 1400 needy households are benefited annually through these furniture banks.
Here are some popular furniture banks working in the USA:
- Furniture Bank in Atlanta
- Furniture Bank in Chicago
- Furniture Bank in Houston
- Furniture Bank in Central Ohio
- Furniture Bank in New Jersey
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is an international Christian charitable organization that was founded in London in 1865. They run thrift stores that can provide free furniture to families who have gone through some disaster or are in need with a network of volunteers and donors in over 130 countries.
Salvation Army has 7,219 centers just in the USA. You can go to your local branch or thrift store and they will have some sort of application process and you will be able to get free furniture by providing them some proof of need like:
- A referral letter from some social service organization.
- A letter from a Healthcare provider.
The Salvation Army also gives free Furniture vouchers at their center with which low-income households can get free furniture from the salvation army stores.
Here is the eligibility for such free furniture vouchers:
- The applicant’s income must be lower than the median income in the area.
- The applicant should not own any furniture or the item they have applied for.
- If the applicant is a single parent, they are also eligible.
- If an applicant houses a patient, they may get a piece of free furniture.
- Low-income families
- Single mothers
- Low-income individuals with serious health problems
- Domestic violence victims
- Natural disaster victims
- People moving out of a shelter
If you fulfill these requirements, then you can go to their centers and request a free furniture voucher.
Catholic Charities
There are various Catholic Charities working for decades through churches that provide assistance to needy families in the form of free furniture. It was started in 1910 when nearly 400 people gathered at the Catholic University of America to found the National Conference of Catholic Charities (NCCC) which was later changed into catholic charities USA.
You can directly seek help through your local church and request free furniture. These charities also organize yard sales of donated furniture items for the sake of funds and give always free furniture at the end of the sales to get rid of heavy items.
Most people have seen praising catholic charities and appreciating their assistance programs. As people do actually receive free furniture in the time of need especially those who have gone through some disaster or crisis.
Heroes Warehouse
Heroes Warehouse is a nonprofit organization that provides free furniture, appliances, and household goods to veterans and their families in need. To date, Heroes Warehouse (a non-profit 501(c)3 has assisted more than 5,600 veteran families in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
Heroes Warehouse is based in Southern California, specifically in the city of Perris. The organization primarily serves veterans and their families in the following counties in Southern California:
- Riverside County
- San Bernardino County
- Orange County
- Los Angeles County
- San Diego County
To be eligible for getting free furniture from them, you need to fulfill the following criteria:
- being a veteran or the immediate family member of a veteran.
- having a verified need for furniture.
- meeting certain income guidelines.
You can check their website or contact them directly or follow on Facebook to learn more about the eligibility criteria. Plus, to receive free furniture from Heroes Warehouse, you will need to be referred by a partnering agency or organization, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs or a local veterans’ service organization.
You can contact these organizations to request a referral, or you can ask Heroes Warehouse for a list of partnering agencies in your area.
Red Cross
The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and education within the United States. It was founded in 1881 by Clara Barton and is one of the largest charities in the country, with more than 20,000 employees and 300,000 volunteers.
The Red Cross responds to an average of 60,000 disasters every year. If you have suffered from any natural disaster including house fires to hurricanes then you can contact Red Cross for assistance. They will provide you assistance in getting Free Furniture for your house.
It could be on their own like their Disaster Relief Program or they can assist you through various collaborations with various other organizations.
Craigslist
Craigslist is a great platform to find free furniture from your locality. It is an online marketplace where thousands of things are available from your own neighborhood with a strong sense of community.
There is a “Free Stuff” tab under the “For sale” category in Craigslist, where you can write your desired furniture by searching in the panel. Dozens of free furniture items are listed in Craigslist daily.
For example, here are the Free Furniture listings available in New York City:
| Type of Furniture | Number of Listings |
|---|---|
| Couch, Sofa, Bed | 28 |
| Chairs | 15 |
| Tables | 18 |
| Cabinet, Closet | 22 |
Here are the Free Furniture Listings available in Seattle:
| Type of Furniture | Number of Listings |
|---|---|
| Couch, Sofa, Bed | 64 |
| Chairs | 123 |
| Tables | 82 |
| Cabinet, Closet | 46 |
Here are the Free Furniture Listings available in Los Angeles:
| Type of Furniture | Number of Listings |
|---|---|
| Couch, Sofa, Bed | 59 |
| Chairs | 103 |
| Tables | 77 |
| Cabinet, Closet | 37 |
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook is the most popular social media site with more than 2.96 billion users. The Facebook marketplace offers free furniture to its user all over the globe.
Just like Craigslist, there are many people willing to give away free furniture. All you need to do is to contact the seller, get in your vehicle and grab the furniture from the seller.
But in the case of Facebook Marketplace, users have reported some free furniture listed which was not free actually when they contacted the sellers. This is not the case for every free listing as people have also shown interest in giving away their sofas or beds just to get their place some free space.
Here are the Free Furniture listings from Los Angeles:
| Type of Furniture | Number of Listings |
|---|---|
| Couch, Sofa, Bed | 39 |
| Chairs | 57 |
| Tables | 103 |
Here are the Free Furniture Listings from Houston:
| Type of Furniture | Number of Listings |
|---|---|
| Couch, Sofa, Bed | 34 |
| Chairs | 72 |
| Tables | 92 |
Nextdoor
Nextdoor is a private social networking platform that connects over 10 million users in more than 270,000 neighborhoods across the United States. On Nextdoor, users can create profiles and join private groups based on their location. They can post messages, events, and classified ads with 12,000 free items listed daily.
Like Craigslist and other marketplaces, it also has a free tab where free furniture could be found in your neighborhood groups. One different thing about Nextdoor is, you can just join the groups of your own area and for that, you have to verify your address before joining a group.
The availability of free furniture on Nextdoor may depend on various factors such as:
- The location
- Size
- The activity level of the user’s local community
BuyNothing
The Buy Nothing Project is a global network of hyper-local gift economies that encourages people to give and receive goods and services within their own communities. Started in 2013 by Rebecca Rockefeller and Liesl Clark in the Seattle area, the project has grown to more than 6,000 groups in 44 countries worldwide, with new groups forming all the time.
To get free furniture from Buy Nothing, you would need to join a local group in your area. Once you are a member, you can post a request for the specific furniture item you need or keep an eye out for any posts by others offering free furniture. If someone in the group has the item you need, they will respond to your request or you can message them to arrange pickup.
Freecycle
Freecycle is a non-profit movement of people in more than 5350 towns and over 10 million members. Their goal is to reduce waste, save precious resources & ease the burden on the landfills while enabling its members to benefit from the strength of a larger community.
To get free furniture through Freecycle, simply join a group in your own city and search for any furniture item. There are two categories through which free furniture is listed:
| Offer | Wanted |
|---|---|
| If there is a person offering that furniture, it will show you in the “Offer” category. After contacting the owner, you can simply go and pick up that as everything listed there is totally free. You will just need to pick up that thing yourself as Freecycle does not provide any delivery service. | If by chance, there is not any listing of your desired furniture in the offer category, then you can also list your desired item in the “Wanted” category. So that, whenever someone wants to offer that item, he will contact you first before even listing that item. |
Curbside Finds
You may be surprised to hear that dumpster diving or simply picking up discarded furniture from the street is a viable option for finding free furniture, especially if you live in a city.
When people move or downsize, they often need to quickly get rid of their furniture, and you can sometimes find perfectly good items waiting on the sidewalk.
Even in suburban areas, it’s not uncommon to see free items with a “Free” sign before garbage day, so keep your eyes open for hidden treasures. People have even developed “Trash Days” in various communities. When they give away all the extra stuff for free and people in need can get them.
Just be careful with the free furniture found on the curbside as it could be a riskier option and there could be pests or other insects inside it which could be killed with a spray or powder.
College Campuses on Move-out Day
If you’re looking for free furniture, living in a college town can be a great advantage. During move-out day, students often leave behind perfectly good furniture on the sidewalks and curbs because it’s too much of a hassle to bring with them.
This presents a fantastic opportunity for anyone looking for free pieces, such as a sofa, chairs, or a dresser. What’s more, much of the furniture left behind is still almost brand new. In Madison WI the big move-out day is August 15 and it is affectionately called “hippie Christmas” by the people.
To find these hidden treasures, take a drive around areas with a high concentration of students and keep an eye out for discarded furniture. If you find something you like, make sure to check that it’s not just waiting to be loaded into a moving truck. You don’t want to accidentally take something that isn’t actually being discarded.
Before bringing any free furniture home, be sure to inspect it thoroughly for bed bugs or other pests, stains, unpleasant odors, and safety issues. This will help ensure that you only bring home items that are functional and safe for your home.
