Project Home Sweet Home began in 2006 as the brain child of Paula Beritzhoff and Ricki Syufy, when, as part of a community service program that their children were involved in through school, they had an opportunity to visit Homeward Bound, a local transitional housing facility in Novato, CA.
While touring the facility they were struck by the fact that, though the shelter provided residents with a place to sleep and fulfilled their basic human needs, it didn’t really feel like home.
Paula and Ricki decided to change that. The two women set about repainting and refurnishing the entire house! In an effort to restore residents’ pride and inspire hope for their future, they gave each room a loving transformation. The extreme makeover took over a year.
As Paula and Ricki became regulars around the Homeward Bound facility, they got to know the residents in the transitional housing program. Many were successfully moving on to their own homes. One day, a resident who was moving out said “I wish you would come and furnish our place. We’ve got nothing.”
Paula and Ricki visited the resident’s new home and discovered that most of the transitioning residents had very little in the way of what constitutes a home. They needed beds and linens. There was nothing to sit on and only a meager assortment of housewares.
That’s all it took for Paula and Ricki to take Project Home Sweet Home to the next level. Soon, they began getting referrals from local social service agencies on behalf of clients in need. They began soliciting furniture from the general public in Marin county. They attained donated warehouse space to store the donated furniture. Paula and Ricki bought a van.
Then, this two woman whirlwind, began assessing and helping to furnish the homes of those in need in Marin county. Project Home Sweet Home furnished the homes of 66 families over five years. Paula and Ricki provided beds, linens, dressers, sofas, dining tables, chairs, kitchenware and other items to help these transitioning families create a home.
Project Home Sweet Home is so successful that there aren’t enough days in a week to keep up with the demand. So Paula and Ricki decided to call in the big guns and created a partnership with The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Sonoma County. St. Vincent de Paul of Sonoma County currently collects, warehouses and delivers donations for Project Home Sweet Home through their Thrift Store.
Though the demand remains high, all of these “moving parts” cost money. Even at the generous charitable discount provided by St. Vincent de Paul of Sonoma County, Project Home Sweet Home needs a certain dollar amount to cover the overhead they provide. We are currently searching for a benefactor to get the funding needed to restart the program.