Humble Design, Troy

Humble Design helps low-income families create new lives after transitioning from homelessness by furnishing their homes with repurposed furniture and supplies. It conducts home makeovers largely with donated and used items, creating thrifty and eco-friendly home designs for families in the Metro area, including many single-parent families and victims of domestic abuse. Reusing cleaning products and large pieces of furniture simultaneously help families create comfortable living spaces, and keeps these items out of Detroit’s overflowing landfills.

Though Treger Strasberg and Ana Smith, the co-founders of Humble Design, spent nearly two months on their first house, they now handle as many as seven a week, according to an interview in the New York Times. Their team starts each redesign by giving family members beds for sleeping, pots for cooking, kitchen tables for family meals, and dressers to store clothing. The volunteers pick up the furniture from homes with excess supplies and deliver them to the families for free. They then undertake a full home makeover, cleaning the space and supplying rugs, lamps, and flowers to create a warm environment.