Inner County Outreach and Fresh Start Furnishings Unite to Address Furniture Poverty in Harford County

Alicia Hamilton
24 hours ago
3 min read

For Immediate Release

Aberdeen, MD — February 26, 2026 — Inner County Outreach (ICO) and Fresh Start Furnishings (FSF) have announced a strategic merger that brings together two organizations dedicated to strengthening families and creating generational change in Harford County.

As part of this partnership, Fresh Start Furnishings will merge into ICO and operate under the new name Fresh Start Furnishings at Inner County Outreach. ICO will maintain its name and ongoing programs, while the integration of Fresh Start Furnishings expands its capacity to provide furniture and essential home goods to individuals and families in need.

The merger combines ICO’s 40-year history of comprehensive community services with Fresh Start Furnishings’ decade of transforming empty houses into homes. Together, the organizations aim to address furniture poverty as a foundational issue that affects housing stability, family wellbeing, and long-term success.

“Home is more than four walls and a roof,” said Alicia Hamilton, Founder and Executive Director of Fresh Start Furnishings. “A bedroom without a bed, a living room without a sofa, a kitchen without a table — that’s not just an inconvenience; it destabilizes the very foundation of a person’s life. Furniture is not cosmetic; it is a universal, basic need. Joining forces with ICO allows us to meet this need at greater scale and serve our clients holistically.”

Founded in 2016, Fresh Start Furnishings has furnished more than 2,050 homes, positively impacting over 5,900 individuals. The organization has brought attention to furniture poverty, the inability to afford basic household furniture and essentials. This growing nationwide issue currently affects 3 in 10 people, with 6 in 10 experiencing it at least once in their lifetime, undermining their physical, mental, emotional, and social wellbeing. For ten years, Fresh Start Furnishings has been filling this critical gap, helping families create stable, dignified homes.

Inner County Outreach brings complementary capacity to this work. For more than four decades, ICO has provided wraparound services in three key areas: Comprehensive Basic Needs (food, clothing, and now furniture and home goods), licensed Mental Health Services, and Youth & Family Services, with a focus on families affected by incarceration. This integrated approach addresses immediate needs while also supporting long-term stability.

“When families come through our doors, their needs rarely exist in isolation,” said Natalie Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of ICO. “If a family needs furniture, they may also be experiencing food insecurity, mental health challenges, or family disruption. Integrating Fresh Start Furnishings strengthens our ability to respond comprehensively and strategically.”

The merger aligns complementary strengths: Fresh Start Furnishings’ community engagement, volunteer mobilization, and workforce development opportunities paired with ICO’s established infrastructure, diversified programming, and long-standing county partnerships.

“This is about scale, sustainability, and systemic change,” Hamilton said. “Meeting the full scope of furniture poverty alone would take another decade. Together, we can reach our vision sooner and serve our clients better, while ensuring that this mission outlives any one founder, board member, or season.”

Under the new structure, Fresh Start Furnishings at ICO will retain its volunteer network, donor relationships, and mission focus while benefiting from ICO’s operational support and service integration. Community members can continue to donate furniture, volunteer, and contribute financially as they have for the past ten years.

“This merger is about strengthening foundations — literally and figuratively,” Johnson said. “When families receive not just housing, but a fully furnished home connected to supportive services, we are building stability that can last for generations.”

For more information, visit www.freshstartmd.org or www.innercountyoutreach.org.

About Inner County Outreach: Inner County Outreach is a faith-based nonprofit serving Harford County for over 40 years, providing comprehensive basic needs assistance, licensed mental health services, and youth and family programs focused on stabilization and long-term transformation.

About Fresh Start Furnishings at Inner County Outreach: Fresh Start Furnishings at ICO provides free furniture and essential home goods to individuals and families in need, promoting dignity, stability, and hope by transforming empty houses into homes.

Media Contact:

Alicia Hamilton

Program Impact Manager

alicia@freshstartmd.org

443-519-2464 ext. 7