MISSION ALIGNMENT
Re*New sits at the intersection of three of MIH’s core values: dignity, circularity, and abundance. Every piece restored is a demonstration that both people and objects deserve a second chance.
DIGNITY
Participants earn wages from day one of paid programming.
CIRCULARITY
Furniture is repaired and returned to use rather than sent to landfill.
ABUNDANCE
Re*New builds a pipeline of skilled tradespeople to meet growing regional demand.
LONGEVITY
Training produces durable, quality work — and durable, quality careers.
re*new
Upholstery Program
The Re*New Upholstery Training & Incubation Program is a workforce development initiative from Make It Home (MIH), a Bay Area nonprofit furniture bank based in Novato, CA. Built on the belief that furniture inequity is a logistics problem — not a scarcity problem — Re*New transforms underutilized furniture into real economic opportunity.
Participants move through a structured, multi-stage pathway: hands-on instruction, a paid internship, an advanced paid assistant role, and integrated entrepreneurial training. Graduates log approximately 2,490 hours — roughly 50% of the hours needed to achieve Journeyman status in the upholstery trade.
Re*New is open to everyone. No prior experience required. Scholarships and stipends are available for eligible participants, with priority access to paid internship and assistantship opportunities in Levels 4 and 5.