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, and it is 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?
Treger Strasberg is based in Detroit, Michigan, where she founded Humble Design in 2009. She has led its growth to four cities, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and San Diego.
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.
What is Treger Strasberg known for?
Treger Strasberg is known for founding Humble Design, an organization that keeps families housed by furnishing their homes. Her idea is that furniture is what makes housing stick, because a bed and a room that feels like yours turn a rented unit into a home a family fights to keep.
How did Treger Strasberg get started in this work?
She learned that a friend she had met volunteering was homeless, and 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 Humble Design grew out of it in Detroit in 2009.
What problem is Treger Strasberg working to solve?
Families who get housed but return to homelessness. Nationally, about half of families return to homelessness within 12 months, while 98 to 99% of the families Humble Design furnishes are still in that same home a year later.
What has Treger Strasberg’s work achieved so far?
She has led Humble Design's growth from one furnished house to thousands, across four cities, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and San Diego. Humble Design's own site lists more than 4,609 homes designed and more than 13,383 people served.
Which One Good Story Project film is Treger Strasberg in?
Treger Strasberg is the voice of our film Home, which tells the story of Humble Design and of Mariah, a mother of four who found the organization through her Alpha Project case manager.
What does Treger Strasberg talk about in the film?
She describes the moment that reframed homelessness for her, realizing that "we're all just one paycheck away." She says homelessness is mostly moms and kids who have had a really bad year and are looking to start over.