Aberdeen-based charity Somebody Cares Aberdeen and local furniture retailer Rubislaw Furniture Solutions (RFS) have announced a new partnership that will see pre-loved sofas and armchairs redirected from landfill to families and individuals across Aberdeen who need them most.
Through RFS's newly launched Friends In Need Project, customers and members of the public who are upgrading their sofa or armchair can donate their pre-loved furniture directly through RFS rather than seeing it go to waste. RFS will then work with Somebody Cares and other charity partners to ensure that high-quality, clean furniture with intact fire safety labels reaches those who need it through a trusted referral pathway.
For Somebody Cares Aberdeen, all furniture received through this partnership will be directed exclusively to individuals and families accessing our referred furniture service. The charity works with over 90 agency partners across the city, including Aberdeen City Council, Turning Point Scotland, and Grampian Women's Aid to identify and support people who are establishing or rebuilding their homes, often having experienced poverty, homelessness, domestic abuse, or other significant life challenges.
Yekemi Otaru, CEO at Somebody Cares Aberdeen, notes:
“This partnership speaks directly to our mission at Somebody Cares Aberdeen. So many of the people we support are starting over and something as fundamental as having a sofa to sit on can make a real difference to how safe and settled someone feels in their home. We know from wider research and our own evidence that furnished homes lead to at least a ten percent improvement in tenancy sustainment. We are delighted to be working with Rubislaw Furniture Solutions, whose commitment to keeping good furniture in use and out of landfill aligns perfectly with what we do every day.”
The partnership reflects a growing movement among Aberdeen businesses to play an active role in addressing local hardship.
James Cummings, Managing Director at Rubislaw Furniture Solutions (RFS) said:
“At RFS we believe furniture should not only furnish a room, but it should also help improve lives. Sadly many people have to start a new life from scratch, almost always caused by circumstances out with their control. Through our large network of customers, we can repurpose pre-loved sofas and armchairs, and through our charity partners get them to those most in need. We are proud to be working alongside Somebody Cares Aberdeen to make that happen.”
With demand for the charity’s furniture service continuing to rise, referrals from agency partners have grown year on year, and partnerships of this kind are vital to sustaining the service.
For more information about Somebody Cares and the work it does in Aberdeen, please visit https://somebodycaresscotland.org or follow the charity on social media.