ReLove is a free furniture store that helps people escaping homelessness and domestic violence furnish their homes with dignity. By rescuing furniture from landfill and creating a real shopping experience, ReLove provides more than just household items – it gives people back their choice and voice.
Walking into ReLove's free store feels like stepping into IKEA. The pink floor and styled displays create a genuine shopping experience, with one crucial difference: everything is free.
ReLove serves people starting over – those escaping domestic violence, experiencing homelessness, or coming out of incarceration.
“People can come and shop for free, and they get that dignity and agency to choose how they want to style their home,” says ReLove co-founder Ren Fernando.
Rescuing Furniture, Rebuilding Lives
ReLove rescues furniture from corporate relocations, hotels, and retailers. Recently, they received 90 hotel rooms’ worth of furniture in 47 trucks over three days.
ReLove saves about 2,000 tonnes of furniture and homeware from landfill each year. Over four years, they've rescued close to 10,000 tonnes.
High-value items that aren’t suitable for social homes are sold through Re-Story, funding ReLove's work. ReLove co-founder Ben Stammer explains that “with every $500 we raise in Re-Story, that's furnishing a full home”.
The Power of Choice
What makes ReLove special isn't just the furniture – it's the dignity of choice.
Clients shop with their caseworker, selecting everything from beds to artwork. For people who have experienced trauma, this agency is transformative.
“Their choice matters, their voice matters – because that's been taken away from them,” says Ren. “Kindness and love matter.”
Michelle, a Women’s Housing Company client, shared: “Being able to put my own things in my own place, furnish it how I want, being able to decorate it in the way I like, having security ... Some days I wake up, I feel like it's not real.”
Community in Action
ReLove helps about 1,000 families a year with only 11 staff. Volunteers and corporate partners like Bankstown Sports Club are essential.
“We're rebuilding homes, we're rebuilding lives, and that needs a lot of hands,” says Igor Vicente, corporate volunteer manager at ReLove.
Corporate volunteers find purpose in the work. “It provides a sense of connection and purpose for our staff,” says Michael Hanratty, sporting and community partnership manager at Bankstown Sports Club. “What [ReLove] is doing is a great thing – salvaging furniture, repurposing it, and providing it to people who do need it.”
Small Gestures, Lasting Impact
Ren shares a story about a young boy in Year 9 who, on a shopping appointment with his caseworker, picked up a small stone saying, “follow your dreams”. When setting up his room, “he pulled it out of his pocket and put it on the bedside table. That's why these little things matter, because he’s following his dream.”
Research shows moments of kindness profoundly impact people leaving violent situations. At ReLove, clients experience being seen, heard, and listened to.
For the delivery team, the impact is immediate. “We see clients come through and the next day, we're changing their lives,” says warehouse staff member Nylo Gyzen.
To support ReLove, visit their website at relove.org.au. Or, visit shop.relove.org.au to shop online at Re-Story.
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