The Houston Furniture Bank calls itself "the charity behind charities," because it provides free furnishings and housewares for clients of 50 area social service agencies. But while the social services community knows and understands the bank's mission, the public generally does not.

"When somebody says the Food Bank, everybody's aware of it," said Steve Gombar of the Furniture Bank's board of directors. "But awareness for the Furniture Bank is below the radar."

Gombar hopes to make the Bank more visible with a series of fund-raisers this fall. Last Tuesday, the group hosted its second annual Screamworld night. With tickets at $10 per person, Gombar counted on doubling last year's take to $10,000.

"It's a fun event," he said. "You can bring the family and have a good time. Jason Bell and Jason Simmons of the Houston Texans came out last year. It's a great haunted house, and it's not gory."

The Furniture Bank operates on $300,000 annually, which supports seven employees, two trucks and a warehouse that needs a new roof and plumbing repairs.

"It's not an expensive type of proposition," Gombar said, but with 50 organizations asking for help "it puts a strain on the Furniture Bank. We're giving away all our services for free. We rely on the community for everything, from donations to cash."

He's also looking for a third truck to keep pace with furniture collections.

The Furniture Bank began 12 years ago as part of the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Association, and became an independent agency in 2003. It has assisted more than 30,000 families in rebuilding their lives, and that's the part that Gombar finds so uplifting.

"Without someone having a livable environment, there's a much stronger chance that they would go back out on the streets, or not be able to function on their job. It can be hard. If they go into an environment and have some comforts ... If you don't even have a spoon to eat with, a spoon is a welcome item," Gombar said.

Bedding is a big demand at the Furniture Bank, Gombar noted. City-wide, some 10,000 children sleep on the floor every night. And children in protective custody cannot be reunited with their families until they have beds to sleep in.

The organization is working with the Houston Fire Department to collect and distribute cribs.

There are several bright spots in the Furniture Bank's search for partners.

Citgo is moving its corporate headquarters to Houston, and it's donating its Tulsa office furniture to the Furniture Bank.

"They're a new large business, and they found us as a charity," Gombar said.

The local chapter of the International Interior Design Association refurbished six of the Furniture Bank's classic 1950s items for its Arts and Artifacts affair last Friday. Auction proceeds will be returned to the bank.

Radio station KTBZ-FM is co-sponsoring the Big Texas Hold 'Em poker series with the Furniture Bank. Anyone over 21 can register on the radio station's Web site at www.thebuzz.com to win 200 seats that will be awarded weekly. The tournament runs for three weeks, said Gombar, and the grand prize is a place at the world championship tournament in Las Vegas.

"A lot of charities will have big galas," Gombar said. "We want to try and make events that are accessible to the community. There's a lot more need out there than we can service."

Paper: Houston Chronicle
Date: Thu 10/21/2004
Section: ThisWeek
Page: 1
Edition: 2 STAR