WJZ-TV Shines a Light on Furniture Poverty in Harford County

Fresh Start Furnishings is grateful to WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore for helping elevate the urgent and often overlooked issue of furniture poverty in our community. Their recent coverage brought attention to the growing number of households living without beds, tables, dressers, or basic home essentials—needs that many of us rarely think twice about, yet are fundamental to safety, dignity, and stability.

For thousands of families across Harford County, the lack of essential furnishings is not a matter of preference but of affordability. WJZ-TV’s reporting also highlighted another critical piece of the puzzle: the hidden burden of high-interest furniture financing. For low-income families, financing a sofa or bed at steep interest rates can create long-term debt traps, making it even harder to achieve financial stability. By bringing this issue into the public eye, WJZ-TV is helping our region understand not only the what of furniture poverty, but also the why—and what it will take to create lasting solutions.

We are also proud to recognize Garceau Realty, one of the earliest champions of our mission. Long before the term “furniture poverty” came to light , Garceau Realty recognized the importance of ensuring that families emerging from crisis, homelessness, and hardship have a safe and furnished place to call home. Their sponsorship has played a foundational role in helping us furnish more homes and restore more lives than we ever thought possible.

As awareness spreads and more community partners join this movement, we move one step closer to a future where every family has the furnishings they need to feel safe, supported, and at home.

Thank you, WJZ-TV and Garceau Realty, for being changemakers and champions for our neighbors in need.