Donated Beds for Habitat Homes

Story first reported from Detroit Free Press

 Two years ago, Adrianne Chamblis managed to get her family into a Habitat for Humanity home on Detroit's east side.

But she was never able to afford much in the way of furniture. Her 13-year-old daughter slept on a used, donated mattress and her 8- and 5-year-olds either slept in her bed, or with her 16-year-old son.

On Saturday, Chamblis and her children received two twin beds for the younger children and a double bed to replace her 13-year-old's secondhand one. As she proudly showed off the new beds, complete with colorful new comforters, her younger daughter dug into a bag of tutus and other dress up clothes the donors brought.

The Chamblis family was one of 46 families across the region who received 100 donated bedroom furniture from two charities on Saturday.

Leigh Ann Lanaux of the nonprofit organization Good Night's Sleep of Los Angeles said they give beds and bedding essentials to the homeless population coming into permanent housing.

The group delivered 518 beds to other cities in the last 18 months before coming to Detroit, where it partnered with Humble Designs of Troy to deliver beds in the area. Humble Designs is a nonprofit organization that gives free home makeovers to families recommended by charitable organizations.

The brand-new beds are purchased with money donated to Good Night's Sleep.

The idea for donating beds to families in need came from a line in the 2009 movie, "The Blind Side," when Michael Oher tells Leigh Anne Tuohy, the character played by Sandra Bullock, that he's never had a bed before, Lanaux said.

The bed recipients had to have been homeless, but moved into permanent housing for six to 12 months, and have a job or be in a program that will help them remain in their permanent housing.

The Detroit donations came with sheets, comforters, pillows and other bedding donated by employees of Doner, an advertising agency in Southfield, from a Michigan Furniture Store.

Lanaux said the best reaction is from the children.

More donations in Detroit were not ruled out.

Lanaux said she’d love to come back to Detroit any time.

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