Changemaker
Treger Strasberg
TL;DR
The founder of Humble Design, whose voice carries our film. She turned furnishing one friend's empty house into an organization that keeps families housed.
Treger Strasberg founded Humble Design in Detroit in 2009 after learning that a friend she'd met volunteering was homeless, and later, that the same friend's family was living in an unfurnished house, her children sleeping on blankets on the floor. Strasberg collected furniture from her own home and her neighbors' and furnished the whole place. Word spread, donations kept arriving on her lawn, and an organization grew out of it.
She has led Humble Design's growth from one furnished house to thousands, across four cities. In our film she describes the moment that reframed homelessness for her, realizing that "we're all just one paycheck away."
Strasberg’s idea is that furniture is what makes housing stick. A bed and a room that feels like yours turn a rented unit into a home a family fights to keep.
Hear her tell the story herself on ChangeMakers with Katie Goar, episode 75. It runs in two parts: Part One and Part Two, also on YouTube (Part One, Part Two).
Why OGSP Recommends It
Treger is the person telling the story in our film, the founder whose friendship with one homeless mother became the whole organization. Her telling of it is worth hearing in full.
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Related Resources
Key Takeaways
- Humble Design began as one act of friendship, furnishing the empty house of a friend whose family had lost everything.
- Strasberg's reframe is the film's core. Homelessness is mostly moms and kids after a bad year, and everyone is closer to it than they think.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Treger Strasberg?
The founder and CEO of Humble Design, the Detroit nonprofit that furnishes homes for families leaving homelessness. She started by furnishing one friend’s empty house.
What does Humble Design do?
It furnishes empty homes for families and individuals moving out of homelessness. About 99% of the families it serves are still housed a year later.
Where is Treger Strasberg based?
Detroit, Michigan, where Humble Design began.
Where can I hear Treger Strasberg tell her story?
Episode 61 of the 1 Girl Revolution podcast and episode 75 of ChangeMakers with Katie Goar are both long conversations with her.