REALTORS TEAM UP WITH THE COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS

(Boston, MA)--The Greater Boston Association of Realtors® (GBAR) and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless has teamed up to assist families transitioning from homelessness. GBAR’s Community Service Committee is sponsoring a furniture drive from November 3-6. The drive will benefit the Coalition’s furniture bank, which is used to furnish the homes of families making the transition from homelessness. The furniture bank accepts qualified household items to be distributed to families in need. This year, Olympic Movers is donating their time and resources to offer professional moving services to the charge. After making a reservation, Olympia Movers will pick up and move the donations from the homeowners at no cost. They will then deliver them on your behalf to the Furniture Bank. Homeowners have until October 21st to register donations by calling Joanne Paleo at 978-303-7100.

For a lot of Massachusetts families, this is much needed assistance. “Nothing is timelier than the topic of homelessness in today's economic climate,” said Joanne Paleo, chair of the Community Service Committee. “GBAR's Community Service Committee has been hard at work to support the Coalition and its Furniture Bank program. As local Realtors® our daily activities are entrenched in the housing market and I can’t think of a better way to give back to the communities that supports us.”

This is the second annual furniture drive GBAR has sponsored for the Coalition, which is the country’s oldest statewide homeless advocacy organization, founded in 1981. The drive matches the needs of homeowners who need to clear out unused furniture and families moving from shelters into empty homes. The Committee’s Vice Chair, Bill Gehan of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, is moved by the joint effort. “The Mass Coalition for the Homeless does an incredible job of helping families to prevent homelessness. My commitment to the organization was cemented when I learned that 40% of the homeless in Massachusetts are children under the age of 7. It is a truly frightening statistic.”

But, hope is clearly the key ingredient in this event. “The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless is thrilled to again be partnering with the Greater Boston Association of Realtors® in their efforts to help homeless families make a house a home,” said Robyn Frost, executive director of the Coalition. “With the help from the Board we are able to ensure that families making the transition out of homelessness into permanent homes will have free of cost furniture to set up their new homes.”

The Greater Boston Association of Realtors® is a private trade association with more than 5,500 Realtor® members who specialize in residential real estate in Eastern Massachusetts. GBAR is the largest of five divisions of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board (GBREB).