One House at a Time’s (OHAAT) mission is to help families establish (or reestablish) self-sufficient lives by providing them with the necessities of a functional home environment. Our current focus is ending child bedlessness in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. Through our Beds for Kids program, we provide children and youth with beds, bedding, and tools that encourage healthy bedtime habits so that they can get the quality and sufficient sleep they need to thrive.
OHAAT was formed in 1998 in Ambler as a furniture bank. Two industrious women equipped with a station wagon delivered donations of furniture and household items to low-income fire and flood victims referred by the American Red Cross. In 2001 the ad hoc furniture bank was incorporated and given 501(c) (3) tax-exempt status, and the Beds for Kids program started as a supplementary program. In 2011, OHAAT’s Board of Directors decided to phase out the furniture bank and focus all efforts on the Beds for Kids program. The board felt that Beds for Kids served a more critical need that was not being addressed by any other organizations. By narrowing the focus, the program would be able to be improved and expanded. Since this decision, Beds for Kids has grown from serving 350 children and youth each year to over 2900 in 2024. Between May 2012 through December 2024, the Beds for Kids program provided over 3,900 children and youth in need in Kensington, Harrowgate, and Fairhill with warm beds of their very own.
The Beds for Kids program was designed to support the work of other health and human service providers, not duplicate it. Recipients must be referred by one of our partners who are best placed to assess the needs of individual families. Over 300 community partners, including Frances E. Willard Elementary School, Congresso, John H. Webster Elementary School, Gaudenzia, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, and Mother of Mercy House identify families who are in need of basic necessities and refer these families to OHAAT’s Beds for Kids program.
