Beth Baker began Deserving Decor after 9/11.

The comparison with a luminous object in the sky is a very apt one, because the partnership is a match made in Heaven.

“Beth is a star!”

The praise comes from Melissa Mantz, Development Officer for the Bucks County Housing Group, the non-profit organization that provides transitional housing for the County’s homeless population. She refers to Beth Baker, the founder of Deserving Décor, the charitable organization that provides “makeovers” for BCHG’s shelter apartments.

Baker, 54, spent many years in the computer business until the events of 9/11, which she describes as “transformative”. As the national tragedy did for many others, 9/11 brought about a moment when she thought she should live her life with more meaning.

“What Should I Do With This?”

“I had always wanted to do interior decorating” says the Doylestown resident. Baker went to school to learn the craft, and then went to work for a family-run interior decorating store. When the store shut down years later she decided to start her own interior design business. That’s when she first noticed how many useful furnishings went unused.

“I started to see the amount of furniture that people were getting rid of when they had garage sales,” Baker says. “They would always ask me ‘what should I do with this?’”

Thrift stores were one option. The stores sell the items and the money goes to local charities. Baker became friendly with one of the local thrifts. Then one day she thought that there had to be people who couldn’t afford to buy or transport thrift store items. The wastefulness exhibited by the traditional spring cleaners also bothered her.

Kick Nothing to the Curb

“Some people did put [their used items] out on the curb, which really upset me because I’m very into recycling. I don’t want things to go in landfills, especially if it’s in good condition and could be used by somebody that needs it. So I started to think about it and I did some research and I found the Bucks County Housing Group.”

This led Baker to Kate Bianchini, the Doylestown coordinator for BCHG.

“I think it’s really important, especially for people who are starting over and having hard times, to be in nice surroundings,” Baker says. “I think it impacts the way that you feel about yourself and your self-esteem. And most of these people have already gone through so much.”

Baker pitched the concept - and her services as an interior designer - to Bianchini. And the match made in heaven was born.

The process works this way. BCHG purchases locations, through donations and government funding, for use by those without shelter – most of whom are victims of domestic violence. The apartments allow the residents a period of time -- usually six months -- to get back on their feet, at which time they transfer to Section 8 housing or into another longer term resident program.

How It Works

This is the way it works: BCHG calls Deserving Décor a couple weeks prior to a tenant move-out, then Baker’s team of volunteers generally has one or two days to refurbish the apartment.

The first day consists of an assessment of which items and furniture need to be replaced. Sometimes Baker’s team will repair existing items. Deserving Décor also provides the bedding, sheets, towels, shower curtains, rugs, window treatments, artwork and lamps, all donated from individuals or organizations.

“We get an incredible amount of [furniture] donations. I can fill a 20,000 square foot warehouse in a matter of months,” Baker says. “People like it that we don’t sell it. They like the fact that we’re all volunteers; we don’t draw a salary, and it goes directly to people that need it.”

Furniture can’t be stored, however, because Deserving Décor does not have a warehouse, so Baker created a database to employ a “just in time” delivery method where the furniture is delivered directly from the donating source to the shelter apartment.

What It Can Use

“Funding, funding, and warehouse” is Baker reply when she’s asked what Deserving Décor can use. The organization received its charitable tax exemption this past January, and before that Baker funded the effort 100 percent – from her own resources. She also proudly states the fact that despite the exemption she and all the volunteers still do not draw any salary.

Deserving Décor has three small storage units - two of which house small furniture and soft furnishings and have been donated by the storage companies, and one 1,000 square foot unit that contains donated items from the retailer Bed, Bath and Beyond, for which Deserving Décor must pay through volunteer contributions.

On a recent apartment makeover, Baker’s skills as an interior designer were evident. She displays a good eye when it comes to color combinations. The pillow placed in the center of the couch was a rich textured brown and gold floral pattern, coordinated with two solid brown pillows, one placed in each corner.

Suddenly, in Baker’s hands, a plain gold couch becomes a comfortable and attractive sitting area. The framed picture of a cottage setting, positioned above the couch, is the final, beautiful touch. Baker also chooses matching lamps for the end tables, and ties it all together nicely with lovely, colorful placemats for the dining room table.

Baker and her team of three volunteers are serious about the work, yet it’s not without fun. The atmosphere is enthusiastic and jovial. It’s clear that the ladies enjoy what they do, and their respect for one another, as well as for the process, is evident as well.

“One of the Things That Pulled at my Heartstrings . . .”

Before Deserving Décor’s involvement, BCHG did not have the furniture replaced. “That was one of the things that pulled at my heartstrings”, Baker says. “The decorating was never done. I want it to be homey and want people to feel comfortable . . . More like if you or I moved into an apartment . . . what it would look like, you know, to have all the comforts of home.”

Baker steps back to view the made-over apartment. It must pass her eye for discerning detail, yet it must feel like home. “Most of the people I deal with -- ninety-nine percent -- are mothers and children.” And the work is its own reward: “They thank me for what we do. I’ve had mothers hug me and little kids that are so happy that their room is so pretty and it’s pink, their favorite color, and it has a Teddy Bear in it.”

Those at BCHG agree. According to Susan O’Neil, a case Manager at the Family Resource Center, before Deserving Décor, BCHG received furniture and furnishings that did not always match and were not in the best of shape. And in addition to the overall improvement of the quality of the apartments, O’Neil appreciates the efforts of Baker and the volunteers, who spend hours cleaning and decorating the apartments.

“We Don’t Know What We’d Do Without Her!”

According to Alison Poole, Director of Social Services for BCHG, their organization would not have been able to furnish the ten apartments in their Bensalem location without the assistance of Deserving Décor. Poole states that the clients of the site were “elated” with Deserving Décor’s efforts.

Bianchini can’t imagine a future without Baker in it. “We don’t know what we’d do without her!”

What are Baker’s plans for Deserving Décor’s future? “We recently met with a men’s shelter in Phoenixville. They have five buildings that house homeless men. They need furniture, they need painting. They have no decorating at all. They don’t have blinds on their windows.”

Would men even care about curtains and art?

Yes, according to Baker. “They were very excited about the idea.”

Baker sees a change in the level of donations due to the state of the economy. “I think more people are donating, but they’re donating smaller amounts. We get tons of volunteers and people who want to help. And we get a ton of people who want to give . . . you know, furniture, home décor, what have you.

But funding is the tough part.”Deserving Décor does not yet have a full-time marketing program for fundraising, due in part to the fact that Baker must handle all the administrative duties, herself. That keeps her inordinately busy, considering the fact that she handles that end in addition to performing all the makeovers and picking up items from the storage areas. Baker did recently add a volunteer coordinator who, she believes, will help, especially in the area of promotions.

Baker is also a big believer in social media as a way to get the word out. This leads to more opportunities to meet like-minded individuals, as it did when she recently attended a conference called, “Dreamers into Doers”, run by Martha Stewart, which promotes women entrepreneurs in the non-profit arena.

“You Don’t Have to Give a Ton of Time or Money . . .”

When asked why more people don’t become involved, Baker is uncharacteristically measured. “I don’t know. I don’t think people realize that . . . you don’t have to give large amounts of money. I don’t think people realize that you don’t have to give a ton of time, or money.”

Does she believe it is sometimes too painful for people to look at the struggles of others?

“I do,” she says thoughtfully. “I think it seems overwhelming. It’s like, what can one person do? But one person can do much more than they think.”

Baker would like to see her efforts duplicated in other areas. “I’ve had many people call me from different parts of the country and say ‘I love what you do. Do you have chapters in other locations?’”

But, once Baker tells them the amount of work involved and the fact that it comes with little or no salary, people balk. “Volunteer for a local place,” is her standard – and realistic -- advice for those who are too overwhelmed to take the entire burden on themselves.

Baker then amends her wish list to include men who can volunteer to pick up and unload furniture.

“I’d like to expand to other counties. Men, I think, have been overlooked. When you say ‘homeless’ some people have a pre-conceived idea of what a homeless person is, especially a homeless man . . . they think of someone in the city who has a drug or alcohol [problem] or a type of mental disability. But that’s not always the case -- especially in this economy.”

“And then I think -- where are the celebrities and the commercials for the hungry and the homeless in the United States?”

Perhaps it’s no longer necessary to look at the stars, either the ones in the sky or in Hollywood, for answers. Perhaps, it is necessary to focus no further than on our own local luminaries – genuine heaven-sent people like Beth Baker.