Nonprofit that furnishes residences of former homeless people needs household items

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville woman gave up her successful interior design business more than a decade ago to take a more spiritual direction. So she created a nonprofit that helps former homeless people furnish their houses.

God's Designs Inc. helps do design work and furnishes homes for people in need. CEO Gerry Harrah stopped by WDRB Mornings on Monday to talk about what inspired her to make the change.

"It all happened as a result of a dream and a vision that I had, that I could make a ministry such as this work," Harrah said.

She said she could not have done it without the support from others, particularly her church, St. Matthews Baptist.

"Our main purpose is providing home furnishings for people in need," Harrah said. "And we have two work days: We have a Tuesday and a Wednesday. And every Tuesday, we go in and we completely furnish an apartment for someone that's been homeless. And it's a whole-day job. Our motto is 'making a house a home.' And then, on Wednesday, we go into the warehouse and we spend the whole day at the warehouse preparing for the next week."

Recipients are chosen based on need.

"We work with about six or seven social agencies here in Louisville," Harrah said. "And it's proved to be a wonderful resource. So when they have a client that's ready to go into housing but they don't have any furniture, they will refer that person to us."

All of the furnishings are donated.

"Oftentimes, there are people who need to get rid of furniture because they've lost a loved one or something, and they have a whole house full," she said. "We will actually get a whole house full of furniture."

Harrah said the most fulfilling part of working with God's Design is the reaction from the people being helped.

"We have the client leave the house when we do the job ... and they come back to a completely furnished home from top to bottom, to see their excitement and their joy ... it's just so wonderful," she said. "That's what makes it worth all of the hard work that they do."

In order to raise money, Harrah is offering her talent and the talent of others in the organization to people who need interior design help for drastically reduced prices.

"We just thought we may as well take the talent we have in our organization and use that to generate income," Harrah said.

If you or someone you know is looking for a good deal on interior design services, you can call 502-494-1089 or email godsdesignsinc1@gmail.com.