You've Got Questions ... We've Got Answers.
What is the Mission of the Veterans Furniture Center?
The VFC provides a complete kit of new furniture and household goods, free of charge, to needy veterans transitioning from homelessness or transitional shelters to permanent housing, subsidized by the Federal Government under the HUD-VASH program. The VA places the veterans in small rental units throughout the Phoenix area. These apartments are usually one to three rooms and completely unfurnished. We often find the veteran sleeping on the cold hard floor and without the necessary household items to prepare a meal or even make a cup of coffee. Left in these conditions, the veteran is highly likely to return to the street. When we deliver furniture and household goods, we make their apartment into a home, giving the veteran, who previously has had nothing, a sense of self-worth and hope for the future.
Why doesn’t the VA provide furniture to veterans?
The VA provides many services to homeless veterans, including counseling, and healthcare.Through HUD-VASH they provide subsidized housing, but they have no funds available to provide the complete kit of furniture and household goods that we give to needy veterans. We work very closely with the VA and all the clients we serve are referred to us by the VA. They are certified by the VA to be formerly homeless veterans in need of our help, transitioning into HUD-VASH subsidized housing, without the means to provide these items for themselves.
As a Veteran in Need, why can’t I go directly to the VFC for furniture?
We serve only veterans who have qualified for assistance under the HUD-VASH program. If you fit that criteria, please contact the Department of Veterans Affairs. They will send a referral to us. We will then contact you and arrange to deliver what you need. All our resources are needed to fulfill this core mission. If you do not meet this criterion, we are sorry, but we are unable to help. We recognize that you are deserving and may have a need, but our resources are stretched fulfilling our core mission, and supporting others would take away from our transitioning homeless veterans. There are several other charitable groups in the area that may be able to assist you. We recommend that you contact the VA CRRC for assistance.
What is HUD-VASH?
“HUD-VASH is a collaborative program between HUD and VA combines HUD housing vouchers with VA supportive services to help Veterans who are homeless and their families find and sustain permanent housing.
“Through public housing authorities, HUD provides rental assistance vouchers for privately owned housing to Veterans who are eligible for VA health care services and are experiencing homelessness. VA case managers may connect these Veterans with support services such as health care, mental health treatment and substance use counseling to help them in their recovery process and with their ability to maintain housing in the community. Among VA homeless continuum of care programs, HUD-VASH enrolls the largest number and largest percentage of Veterans who have experienced long-term or repeated homelessness. At the end of FY 2018, there were 85,509 Veterans with active HUD-VASH vouchers and 78,234 Veterans in housing with a HUD-VASH voucher.” (From the VA Website)For more information visit the VA website: https://www.va.gov/homeless/hud-vash.asp.
“Through public housing authorities, HUD provides rental assistance vouchers for privately owned housing to Veterans who are eligible for VA health care services and are experiencing homelessness. VA case managers may connect these Veterans with support services such as health care, mental health treatment and substance use counseling to help them in their recovery process and with their ability to maintain housing in the community. Among VA homeless continuum of care programs, HUD-VASH enrolls the largest number and largest percentage of Veterans who have experienced long-term or repeated homelessness. At the end of FY 2018, there were 85,509 Veterans with active HUD-VASH vouchers and 78,234 Veterans in housing with a HUD-VASH voucher.” (From the VA Website)For more information visit the VA website: https://www.va.gov/homeless/hud-vash.asp.
How much of my donations goes to the Veterans?
The VFC is an all volunteer organization with very low overhead. The Board of Directors and volunteers who to do the work receive no compensation other than the satisfaction of having helped our fellow veterans who are in need. Our expenses include rent and utilities for the warehouse, fuel and maintenance on the trucks, office supplies, and other expenses. Our administrative overhead, not including the warehousing and delivery expenses, is less than 3%.
If you donate to our Support a Veteran Program, 100% of your donation will go to buy furniture and household goods for our veterans.
If you donate to our Support a Veteran Program, 100% of your donation will go to buy furniture and household goods for our veterans.
Are my donations eligible for a Tax Credit?
The VFC is a Qualifying Charitable Organization certified by the Arizona Department of Revenue. If you pay income tax to the State of Arizona, you can apply up to $400 per individual or $800 per couple to what you owe the State of Arizona. Note that this is a Tax Credit, not a deduction. You subtract the credit from what you owe, meaning you can donate up to $800 and get it all back through a reduction in your tax bill. Donations made by April 15 may be used against the previous year’s taxes. Note that you must owe the tax to take the credit.
You do not have to itemize to take the tax credit. This is not a deduction. After you calculate what you owe in taxes, subtract your donation and pay only the difference.
Can I also take a deduction on my Federal Taxes?
Federal law prohibits taking a tax deduction for any amounts that you applied to your state taxes as a tax credit. If you donate more than you can use in Tax Credits, you may deduct the difference as a tax deduction. If you are not an Arizona taxpayer all donations are applicable as tax deductions.
Can I get a Tax Receipt for my donation?
We happily provide tax receipts for all donations, usually within 2-3 working days. If, for some reason, you don’t receive one automatically, please contact us and we will provide one. We also keep accurate records of all donations. If you should misplace your receipt and need a new one, just contact us at VFCdonations@gmail.com. We will supply you with a new copy.
How does VFC know the recipients are Veterans in need?
Veterans requesting assistance must be referred by the VA. They must be referred to us by their case worker. We don’t accept walk-ins. Those requesting assistance from us directly are referred to the VA.
Do you accept used furniture donations?
The Veterans Furniture Center is no longer accepting any used furniture or household goods. We apologize for any inconvenience. We must focus on the needs of our formerly homeless veterans, who live in very small, one-three room apartments. Even the best quality donated items often were too big or unsuitable for their use.
To give our transitioning veterans a hand up in their efforts to become functioning members of society we now deliver a complete kit of new furniture and household goods specifically tailored to meet their needs. We appreciate those who donated in the past and hope that you will understand that we must focus on our mission of assisting transitioning veterans so that they may lead a successful life and not return to the street.
We especially appreciate the support of Living Spaces who is providing brand new beds for all of our needy veterans.
Thank you for your understanding. Please consider supporting us as we strive to reduce, and eventually end, veteran homelessness.
Are you part of a National Organization?
No, we are not part of a National Organization. The Veterans Furniture Center is a local charity, based in Phoenix, serving needy veterans throughout the valley. We occasionally receive inquiries and requests from outside our region and even outside of Arizona. While we recognize the need is great everywhere in the country, with the limited resources we currently have available we must focus our efforts locally.
Who is United For Change?
Our 501(c)3 was originally incorporated as United For Change. The only operation of United for Change was the Veterans Furniture Center. In 2018, we officially changed the name of the 501(c)3 to Veterans Furniture Center to clearly identify who we are and what we do. We have received approval for the name change from the Arizona Corporate Commission, but some old databases on the Internet still show the old name.
Where can I get additional information?
We are happy to answer any questions. Please contact us. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
