City Rescue Mission of Saginaw Opens New Furnishing Donation Center

A new donor site hoping to help the formerly-homeless settle back into structured life has opened as part of the City Rescue Mission of Saginaw.

Located just behind the City Rescue Mission on East Genesee, the new Impact Designs site makes things easier for those donating furniture and amenities; as well those preparing to leave the shelter who need help filling a new home or apartment with necessities they may not already have.

Impact Designs officially opened its doors in February, after a 2020 construction and a 2019 fundraising campaign raising upwards of $600,000.

Rescue Ministries of Mid-Michigan CEO Dan Streeter says waiting until now to celebrate allowed groups to come together to focus on the importance of the new homeware and furniture warehouse to the community.

Streeter says when someone moves out of a shelter into a place of their own, statistics have only 50% of families remaining in those dwellings after a year.

When fully incorporated with an assistance program like Impact designs, he shared that number shoots up to 95%.

Initial goals of the program point towards assisting 52 households annually, but Streeter says the long-term goal is to be able to assist any family residing in any shelter in Saginaw County.

The addition will be able to take in furniture and household goods like dishes, silverware, rugs, and more that help transform an unfurnished house or apartment into a home, but volunteers with Impact Designs and the Rescue mission will also assist in organizing the household and transporting items from the warehouse to the living space.

Full lists of needed items and available volunteer positions can be found at r3monline.org.