Community: ReLove - Restoring Dignity and Hope for Crisis Survivors in Sydney

ReLove is an Australian-registered charity committed to rescuing good quality furniture that should end up in landfills and giving it directly to people in need.

Relove truck unloading used furniture Credit: Relove

ReLove is a non-profit organisation in Greater Sydney that provides personalized and dignified humanitarian assistance to individuals and families coming out of extreme crisis situations, such as homelessness, domestic violence or post-incarceration.

Founded by Ben Stammer and his partner, ReLove operates as a “big free shop” where clients, alongside their social workers, can choose the furniture and household supplies needed to restart life in a safe home.

Based in a 1,500-square-foot warehouse in Alexandria, ReLove provides a complete shopping experience like a furniture store, then helps deliver and rearrange the house the next day. The organization aims not only to meet basic needs, but also to restore the dignity of the survivors of the crisis.

Relove furniture at the warehouse Credit: Relove

ReLove obtains most of its items from corporate donations, hotels, and furniture suppliers, while helping to reduce waste that ends up in landfills. In its operations, ReLove is supported by various funding foundations and works closely with more than 85 partner charities that refer clients.

Two office chairs are dumped against a railway bridge wall in Orpington town centre, on 13th February 2025, in London, England. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images) Credit: Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images

In the past 12 months, ReLove has furnished more than 880 homes or about 2,300 people, with the majority of clients being women and Indigenous people.

Although government support is still limited, ReLove has big ambitions to expand this model to regional areas of New South Wales and other Australian cities, as well as getting the public involved through volunteering and donating household items.

Check out Relove's activities on the website www.relove.org.au

This article aims to provide general information and is not intended as professional, legal or financial advice. Readers are encouraged to visit the official ReLove website or contact the relevant organizations for the latest and most accurate information.

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