Humble Design is Helping Veterans Beat Homelessness in November

CHICAGO, Nov. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- It is Veterans Month at Humble Design Chicago each November, when the nonprofit focuses its efforts on assisting our nation's heroes who are striving to emerge from homelessness.

Humble Design®, with the helping hands of its passionate volunteers, changes empty residences into clean, dignified and welcoming homes through its free professional design services and the repurposing of gently used furnishings donated by the community.

On Nov. 11, Veterans Day, Humble Design will be helping Odell Johnson, a disabled veteran who served in both the U.S. Army and Navy. Johnson, 62, spent more than a year in a homeless shelter but is rebuilding his life and wants to help other veterans through the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.

"Mr. Johnson is on a waitlist at the VA for a knee replacement and is currently using a walker," stated Julie Dickinson, Director of Humble Design Chicago. "Once he has his surgery, he plans to be hired part-time at the VA to work with his fellow service members. He wants to help other veterans because they have helped him so much.

"Our team is privileged to be servicing Mr. Johnson and a number of veterans throughout the month," Dickinson added. "We're so grateful for everything our veterans have done for this country. This is one small way we can show our appreciation while also addressing the pressing issue of homelessness in Chicago."

Humble Design works with referring agencies and local shelters to identify persons seeking to move forward in their lives after bouts of homelessness, with an emphasis on assisting single parents with children and veteran families.

U-Haul® serves as the charity's national sponsor, while Humble Design Chicago also receives local support from sponsors like Jewel-Osco®, which is providing volunteers for Johnson's home deco and is sending a truck full of groceries to stock his home. Jewel-Osco is sponsoring a day of service on Nov. 12 as well to assist a mother of three and a domestic violence survivor.

"Jewel-Osco is honored to support Mr. Johnson and to recognize the sacrifice and courage of all of our veterans on this important day," said Mike Withers, President of Jewel-Osco.

Chicago media interested in attending Johnson's Veterans Day home reveal at 1 p.m. on Nov. 11 can contact Dickinson at [email protected] to RSVP and attain the address.

Humble Design Chicago will be servicing an Army combat veteran and a new mother on Nov. 23, two days before Thanksgiving. Last week the nonprofit provided a home deco for a Marine veteran.

Clients take a personal stake in their newly furnished homes, leading to a remarkable success rate – 99 percent to receive Humble Design services have escaped the cycle of homelessness. In August, Humble Design serviced its 2,000th client nationally with milestone reveals at each of its five offices: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, San Diego and Seattle.

To learn about volunteer opportunities, corporate sponsorships, furniture donations or to make a financial gift, please visit humbledesign.org.

About HUMBLE DESIGN

Humble Design is a nonprofit that helps families transitioning out of homeless shelters by providing furnishings and design services. The organization turns empty houses into clean, dignified and welcoming homes — a very simple idea that can change a family's future. Founded in 2009, the organization primarily serves single parents with children and veteran families. Humble Design has served more than 2,000 families nationally through its offices in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, San Diego and Seattle. humbledesign.org

About U-HAUL 

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 126,000 trailers and 46,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 825,000 rentable storage units and 71.6 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S., and continues to be the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. U-Haul has been recognized repeatedly as a leading "Best for Vets" employer and was recently named one of the 15 Healthiest Workplaces in America. uhaul.com

ABOUT JEWEL-OSCO

Locally great and nationally strong, Jewel-Osco was founded in 1899 and is owned by Albertsons Companies. The grocery and drug retailer has 188 locations encompassing Illinois, Northwest Indiana, and Iowa, and employs 31,000+ associates. For more information log onto www.JewelOsco.com and follow on social media at Facebook.com/JewelOsco, Twitter.com/JewelOsco, Instragam.com/JewelOsco, Pinterest.com/JewelOscopr and YouTube.com/JewelOsco.

Contact:

Jeff Lockridge
Sebastien Reyes
E-mail: [email protected] 
Phone: 602-760-4941

SOURCE Humble Design

Related Links

https://www.humbledesign.org/