Furniture and carpet help

[Koijoi]

My baby son and I have just got our first flat after spending time in a mother and baby unit and leaving an abusive relationship. I’m on low income and I was wondering if anyone could suggest any charities or grants that would be suitable to apply for in my situation? Need to furnish the whole flat and pay for carpets etc. thank you!

I think Emmaus can help with furniture if there is one near you? Also keep an eye on Freegle.

Wishing you all the best.

No idea about charities but I think some councils will give a small grant towards these items especially white goods.

I've sorted my house out by going to 2nd hand furniture shops, such as British Heart Foundation as they can sell electrical goods too, and some flooring shops sell offcuts cheaply - most will fit a normal sized room.

Search for offcuts for carpet on FB, Preloved, Gumtree and eBay.

British Heart Foundation for furniture, electricals and white goods. Or FB etc if you can collect it and get it inside.

Congratulations 🎉 on your new home 🏡 😁

You don't need much to start with. Mattress can go on the floor until you can get a bed. Find your nearest launderette until you've got a washer. You can cook most things in a microwave. I use the half power setting 3-6 mins for cooking fish, 8mins on full power boils pasta, 1min30sec full power cooks and egg cracked into a bowl of water, 2mins full power cooks half a tin of vegetables or baked beans in a cup, 3mins full power for a tin of soup in a bowl. Packets of microwave rice and vegetables, tinned fish is already cooked so can be added to the plate cold or used in sandwiches.

Hello everyone,

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When I finally got housed after being homeless in temporary, I had to purchase everything myself because even though I'm low income, was fleeing DV there wasn't any local help. Try water companies for grants/white goods. UC advance payment too. Best thing to do is search grants/charities in your area.

Hi OP - speak to your local authority they should have a domestic abuse service who can make a referral to the Household Support Fund. They might be able to offer financial support for food, gas/elec bills and provide furniture. Good luck

We had a house full of perfectly serviceable carpets we struggled to give away before renovating. There are some charities in certain areas who can match up those donating with those in need. The one thing I will say on the facebook groups giving stuff away is if you say you would like something, make arrangements to collect quickly and show up. It is the most frustrating thing in the world to be offering to help others and have so many examples of people throwing it in your face. It drives people to think someone is in the situation they are because they are entitled and just don’t help themselves.

Add yourself to your local Nextdoor group. There are always loads of stuff being given away for free. Most councils also run "furniture" projects through charities.

I recently passed on brand new beds and mattresses for example. In years past we gave all our children's furniture, cots, changing stations, etc to them as well.

Check with your local council & Citizens Advice for the local schemes and charities available to support you.

Also the turn-to-us website has a list of grants etc you can apply for.

Have a look on Olio (app) and Freecycle (website) for free household goods. You will have to collect.

Best of luck.

Speak to your social worker as they will often know local charities who assist. Freecycle or other local 'giving away' pages are also useful. Rugs can be useful as a temporary solution for carpet. Baby banks are another source of assistance. It's very much a case of googling your local area or asking your social worker as these things are often localised rather than national.