Last updated: July 19, 2026
Bottom line
New Hampshire does not have one statewide furniture grant for single mothers. Most help is local and may come through a furniture bank, town or city welfare office, Community Action agency, shelter, school, church, family resource center, or caseworker.
Start with 211 New Hampshire and ask for furniture, beds, household goods, move-in kits, thrift vouchers, and agencies that can make referrals. You can dial 2-1-1 or use the statewide service from another phone by calling 1-866-444-4211.
Use this page with ASMOM’s national furniture guide and New Hampshire help page so you can work on furniture, food, rent, heat, health coverage, and child care at the same time.
If you need help today
Put safety, shelter, heat, and a safe place for children to sleep before a full furniture setup.
- Immediate danger: Call 911 for a fire, medical emergency, violence, or another urgent threat.
- No safe place tonight: Use the 211 resource search or call 2-1-1 and ask for family shelter, homeless services, warming centers, or emergency housing in your area.
- Domestic or sexual violence: The statewide crisis network offers free, confidential help through 12 crisis centers. The 24-hour helpline is 1-866-644-3574. Use a safer phone or device if someone may be checking your calls or browsing.
- No heat or shutoff notice: Contact the Community Action agency serving your town and ask for a no-heat or utility emergency screening.
- Child sleeping on the floor: Ask the school social worker, 211, and a local furniture referral agency about a bed before asking for less urgent items.
ASMOM’s New Hampshire emergency guide can help you sort urgent needs when several bills or safety problems happen at once.
Where to start in New Hampshire
Start with the person or office that already knows your situation. Furniture banks often need a referral from a nonprofit, public agency, faith group, shelter, school, hospital, town welfare office, or housing worker.
If you have a caseworker
Ask for a furniture-bank referral, child bed, kitchen kit, linens, moving help, and any funds that may cover a truck. Give the worker your move-in date, address, family size, and exact item list.
If you have no caseworker
Call 2-1-1 and ask which local agency can take you as a client and make a furniture referral. Also contact your town or city welfare office and your Community Action agency.
If you just moved
Ask for a move-in kit, beds, dining items, towels, sheets, lamps, and basic cookware. Keep your lease or housing placement letter ready because many programs need proof of a stable delivery or pickup destination.
When furniture is part of a larger housing problem, ASMOM’s New Hampshire housing guide covers shelter, rental help, and affordable housing paths. A housing worker may know which furniture partners serve your town.
Quick help table
| What you need | Best first step | What to ask for | Reality check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furniture for a new home | Caseworker, 211, town welfare | Partner referral, move-in kit, truck help | Large programs usually require a referral and pickup plan. |
| Beds and home basics | Home Tomorrow partner | Beds, table, chairs, linens, cookware | Stock changes and all items may not be available. |
| Southern New Hampshire pickup | Fresh Start referral | Furniture and household goods | You must travel to Hudson, Massachusetts, and bring a large vehicle. |
| Child’s twin bed | School worker or SHP | Bed, mattress, and bedding | Only ZIP codes with an active chapter are served. |
| Heat or electric crisis | Community Action | Fuel or electric assistance | These programs do not buy furniture, but may protect your cash. |
| Small household items | Local closets or ReStore | Dishes, lamps, towels, storage | Some options are low-cost rather than free. |
Furniture banks and referral programs
Furniture banks do not work like cash grants. They collect donated furniture and household goods, screen requests through partner agencies, and schedule pickup appointments. A referral does not promise every item on your list.
Home Tomorrow
Home Tomorrow furniture help provides beds, tables, chairs, living room furniture, dishes, linens, cookware, and other home items at no cost. Every request must come from a qualified partner agency. Families cannot place their own furniture order.
The referring worker confirms the number of people in the home and the items needed. The family must arrange a suitable truck and enough help to load, unload, and carry the items. Home Tomorrow is using a temporary storage location in Bedford while it looks for a permanent home.
The current partner referral rules say clients must take approved items at the scheduled pickup. The program cannot hold furniture for a later trip, and stock is first come, first served. Transportation help may sometimes be available through the partner, but it must be approved before the pickup.
Fresh Start Furniture Bank
Fresh Start client help serves approved households in parts of New Hampshire and nearby states. It is located in Hudson, Massachusetts. You must have a referral from an approved agency, schedule an appointment, and travel to the warehouse.
The current rules allow one referral per household over a lifetime. The referral is valid for 30 days, and the household receives one shopping visit. Fresh Start does not deliver. You must bring a vehicle large enough to take all selected furniture and home goods during that visit.
Before accepting an appointment
Ask who will pay for a truck, who can help lift the items, how far you must travel, and whether the furniture will fit through your doors and stairs. Do not rent a truck until the appointment is confirmed.
Children’s beds and baby items
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Sleep in Heavenly Peace provides twin beds to children ages 3 through 17 who do not have a suitable bed. Use the child bed application to check whether an active chapter serves your ZIP code. New Hampshire currently has local chapters, but each chapter controls its own service area and application load.
Beds depend on donations, volunteers, and chapter stock. An application does not guarantee a bed or a set delivery date. The child’s legal guardian can apply, and schools or service agencies may also help with a referral.
Safe sleep for infants
A baby under age 1 needs a firm, flat sleep surface made for infant sleep. New Hampshire’s safe sleep guidance warns against soft bedding and unsafe sleep surfaces. Ask your hospital, WIC clinic, pediatric office, home visitor, or family resource center about a crib or portable play yard.
The Cribs for Kids finder can show local partners that may offer safe sleep education and portable cribs. Supply and eligibility vary by partner. ASMOM’s New Hampshire baby guide lists more diaper, clothing, and child-item starting points.
Town and city welfare
New Hampshire is different from many states because each town or city must run a local general assistance program. The system is based on New Hampshire RSA 165. Your local welfare administrator reviews income, available money, household expenses, and the urgent basic need.
Town welfare is not a statewide furniture program, and a town may decide that a furniture request does not fit its written rules. Still, it is worth asking about a child bed, safe sleeping item, moving need, utility bill, rent, food, medication, or another expense that is keeping you from setting up the home.
You have the right to submit a written application even if someone first says you will not qualify. Ask for the town’s written welfare guidelines and a written decision. The 603 Legal Aid guide explains local welfare applications, decisions, repayment rules, and appeals in plain language.
If the town says no
Ask for the reason in writing and follow the appeal deadline on the notice. Local welfare appeal periods can be very short. Contact 603 Legal Aid quickly if you could not apply, did not receive a written decision, or think the town used the wrong rule.
Community Action help
New Hampshire’s Community Action agencies serve all 10 counties. They do not usually give full furniture sets, but they may help with heating, electric bills, weatherization, diapers, food, rent-related needs, and referrals. Lowering another urgent bill may free money for a truck, mattress cover, cookware, or other basics.
Use the state’s Community Action contacts to find the agency serving your town. You can apply for fuel, electric, and weatherization assistance through the same local agency, though each program has its own rules.
The Fuel Assistance Program is New Hampshire’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. It may help qualified households with heating costs and may help during a heating emergency through a fuel delivery, shutoff delay, or another referral.
The Electric Assistance Program provides bill discounts to eligible customers of participating electric utilities. Ask the local agency to screen you for every energy program at the same time. ASMOM’s New Hampshire utility guide explains more bill-help paths.
Benefits that protect your cash
Food, cash, health, and child care benefits normally do not buy furniture. They can still protect the money you need for basic household items. Use the official DHHS application page to apply online through NH EASY or find paper forms and district office options.
| Program | What it helps with | Where to start | Reality check |
|---|---|---|---|
| FANF/TANF | Cash assistance for some families | FANF program page | Eligibility and work rules depend on household facts. |
| SNAP | Eligible grocery purchases | New Hampshire SNAP | SNAP cannot buy furniture or household goods. |
| WIC | Food and nutrition support | New Hampshire WIC | WIC serves eligible pregnant, postpartum, infant, and young-child households. |
| Child Care Scholarship | Payments to approved providers | Child Care Scholarship | The family may still have a cost share. |
For plain-language state steps, use ASMOM’s New Hampshire TANF guide, New Hampshire SNAP guide, New Hampshire WIC guide, and New Hampshire child care page.
Local and low-cost options
Small household goods are often easier to find than beds or couches. Ask schools, family resource centers, churches, food pantries, domestic violence programs, and town offices about donation closets, thrift vouchers, kitchen kits, and move-in drives.
Use the New Hampshire food map to find local pantries and community agencies. A food pantry may know about nearby furniture drives even when it does not give furniture itself. ASMOM’s New Hampshire community guide can help you build a wider local call list.
Habitat for Humanity’s New Hampshire Habitat list shows affiliates and ReStores. ReStores sell donated furniture, appliances, and household items at reduced prices. They are not free furniture programs, so call before traveling and ask about stock, delivery, and return rules.
If abuse caused the move, a crisis advocate may have safer referral options and replacement-item funds that are not advertised to the public. ASMOM’s New Hampshire safety guide gives local starting points without requiring you to share private details in public groups.
Furniture lost in a fire or disaster
After a home fire, flood, severe storm, or other disaster, start with 911 or local emergency officials if the area is still unsafe. New Hampshire’s state recovery office coordinates disaster recovery information and can point residents to local and federal resources when programs are active.
For a presidentially declared disaster, use DisasterAssistance.gov to check whether Individual Assistance is open for your county. FEMA aid may include limited help for uninsured personal property loss, but it does not pay for every item or every disaster.
Keep photos, insurance letters, receipts, claim numbers, and a room-by-room list of damaged property. Ask before throwing away damaged items unless they create an immediate health or safety risk.
Documents and details to gather
Not every program needs every document. Ask what is required before sending private information. ASMOM’s documents checklist can help you create one safe folder for applications and referrals.
| Document or detail | Why it may help | What to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Photo ID | Confirms who is applying | Ask about other proof if your ID was lost. |
| Lease or move-in letter | Shows where items will go | Include unit number and move-in date. |
| Household list | Helps match beds and supplies | Write ages, bed needs, and item sizes. |
| Income and benefit proof | May be used for screening | Gather current pay, SNAP, FANF, SSI, or unemployment records. |
| Urgent notice | Shows a deadline or emergency | Keep the full shutoff, eviction, or no-heat notice. |
| Referral contact | Lets the furniture bank verify the request | Save the worker’s name, agency, phone, and email. |
| Pickup plan | Shows you can remove items | Know the truck size, driver, and lifting help. |
Pickup, delivery, and safety
Most furniture banks need you to pick up items. Measure doorways, stairs, rooms, and the truck before your appointment. Ask whether volunteers can load, whether you need lifting help, and whether a missed appointment will close the referral.
Check used items carefully
- Check mattresses, couches, and fabric chairs for bedbugs, mold, dampness, smoke, tears, and strong odors.
- Do not use a broken or recalled crib, missing crib parts, crib bumpers, or an unsafe infant sleep product.
- Use the federal recall search before using a crib, heater, appliance, or children’s product.
- Be careful with used car seats because crash history, recalls, and expiration dates may be unknown.
- Do not send a stranger money before a social media pickup or delivery. Protect your address and meet safely when possible.
If help is denied or delayed
A furniture bank may say no because it has no stock, does not serve your town, cannot provide delivery, needs a partner referral, or has paused appointments. Ask for the exact reason and whether you can join a waitlist, try another partner, or request only the highest-priority item.
Backup options
- Ask the school social worker about child beds, clothing, laundry help, and local donors.
- Ask your town welfare office whether it can cover another urgent bill or make a local referral.
- Ask 2-1-1 to search for “household goods,” “move-in kits,” and “thrift vouchers,” not only furniture.
- Ask Community Action about heat, electricity, food, diapers, and weatherization.
- Put beds, a safe infant sleep space, and basic cookware before decorative items.
If a public benefit is denied, read the notice and use the appeal instructions before the deadline. ASMOM’s benefits problem guide explains how to ask what is missing and keep a record of calls.
Phone scripts
Calling 2-1-1
“Hi, I live in [town or ZIP]. My family needs [beds, a table, kitchen items, or a move-in kit]. Can you search for furniture banks, household goods, thrift vouchers, town welfare, and agencies that can make referrals?”
Calling town welfare
“I need to file a written application for local welfare. My family needs help with [rent, heat, a child bed, or another basic need]. What documents should I bring, and when can I receive a written decision?”
Asking a caseworker
“I have housing, but we do not have basic furniture. Can your agency refer me to Home Tomorrow, Fresh Start, or another program? I have my lease, move-in date, household list, and pickup plan.”
Calling Community Action
“Please screen me for fuel, electric, weatherization, food, diaper, and housing-related help. I also need furniture. Do you have a partner referral or a local household-goods program?”
Resumen en español
New Hampshire no tiene un solo programa estatal de muebles gratis. Empiece con 2-1-1, la oficina de asistencia de su ciudad o pueblo, Community Action y cualquier trabajador social que ya ayude a su familia.
Home Tomorrow y Fresh Start Furniture Bank requieren una referencia de una agencia. También debe organizar transporte y ayuda para cargar los muebles. Para una cama infantil, revise Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Para una cuna segura, pregunte en WIC, el hospital, el pediatra o un centro de recursos familiares.
Si hay peligro, llame al 911. Para ayuda por violencia doméstica o sexual, llame al 1-866-644-3574 desde un teléfono seguro.
Questions single mothers ask
Can I get free furniture without a referral?
Sometimes, small local closets or community groups help without a referral. Home Tomorrow and Fresh Start require a referral from an approved partner agency.
Does town welfare pay for furniture?
It depends on the town’s written rules and your need. Furniture is not guaranteed. Ask about a child bed, another urgent bill, a vendor payment, or a local referral.
Does Home Tomorrow deliver furniture?
Families normally need a truck and enough help to load, unload, and carry the items. Transportation help may sometimes be approved through the referring partner.
Can Fresh Start serve New Hampshire families?
It serves approved households in parts of New Hampshire. You need an agency referral and must travel to Hudson, Massachusetts, with a large enough vehicle.
What if my child has no bed?
Ask the school social worker, 2-1-1, Home Tomorrow, and Sleep in Heavenly Peace. SHP serves children ages 3 through 17 in ZIP codes with an active chapter.
Can SNAP or WIC buy furniture?
No. SNAP buys eligible food, and WIC provides approved foods and nutrition services. These programs may protect money you can use for other household needs.
What should I ask for first?
Put child beds, a safe infant sleep space, heat, basic cookware, towels, and a table for meals before less urgent furniture or decorations.
About this guide
This guide uses official federal, state, local, and other high-trust nonprofit and community sources mentioned in the article.
A Single Mother is independent and is not a government agency, benefits office, lender, law firm, medical provider, or tax advisor.
Program rules, funding, local availability, and eligibility can change. Always confirm details with the official program before you apply or make decisions.
Verification: Last verified July 19, 2026, next review October 19, 2026.
Corrections: If you see something wrong or outdated, email suggestions@asinglemother.org.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only. It is not legal, financial, medical, tax, immigration, disability, safety, or government-agency advice.
Last updated: July 19, 2026. Next review: October 19, 2026.