Stories of Home

And we often didn’t know what came next—how the furnishings shaped their lives, or what their homes looked like once fully furnished. I set out to change that.

To bridge the gap, I built and implemented Flourish’s first guest feedback system, including day-of-service surveys and long-term follow-ups at 6 and 12 months. I also conducted intentional outreach to past guests via phone, email, and in-person interviews—gathering stories, quotes, and photos that would become central to Flourish’s messaging and impact reporting.

Background & Goals

Flourish provides guests a 45-minute showroom appointment to choose all the furniture and housewares they need. But without follow-up, we lacked visibility into the long-term outcomes: Did the furniture make a lasting difference? Were guests still stably housed? How had their lives changed?

I designed and managed a trauma-informed feedback process to collect that information. Day-of-service surveys captured immediate satisfaction, stories, and quotes. Long-term surveys captured ongoing outcomes—housing stability, employment, and the lasting impact of furnishings. Through this outreach, I also formed lasting connections with former guests, some of whom returned as volunteers.

These efforts gave us critical data for program improvement and evaluation—and provided the powerful, personal narratives that now anchor our donor communications.

Impact

• 1,500 total survey responses

• 30+ guest-submitted photos of fully furnished homes

• 200+ guest quotes and stories

• Several guests returned as ongoing volunteers

• Data used in impact reports and grant proposals to show long-term outcomes