Who We Are
Oyate Tipi is a registered charity and social enterprise which redistributes gently used furniture and housewares from the community to families and individuals experiencing furniture poverty. We are in partnership with The Furniture Bank Network.
Oyate Tipi is a nonprofit organization located in Winnipeg’s north end.
In 1995, a group of crisis workers, providing outreach and follow-up services to women in transition, conceived the concept of Oyate Tipi. They observed that even when these women received support and secured new housing, they still lacked the essential comforts that transform a house into a home.
In 2000, the United Way helped secure a building that was generously donated by the Bank of Montreal.
In 2003 Oyate Tipi was born in that old bank and began to serve women and children affected by family violence. Since then our mandate has grown to also assist people experiencing homelessness and youth aging out of care.
Oyate Tipi also provides a venue for generous people within Winnipeg to donate their gently used furniture and household items to be reused, refurbished, and recycled. In doing so, thousands of pounds of household goods are diverted from our landfills thus relieving the burden of our waste on Mother Earth.
Oyate Tipi acknowledges that we are gathered on ancestral lands, Treaty 1 territory, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
Our vision
Oyate Tipi Cumini Yape envisions a community that values and acts upon its generosity, sharing between those who have and those who require, fostering greater independence and self-sufficiency, dignity and optimism, and showing care for families, community and Mother Earth.
Our mission
To facilitate community equity and generosity through the sharing of household goods and furniture with those who are restarting their lives, helping them to grow a home in dignity, safety and hope; and by showing care for the earth and its future through the reuse and diversion of such goods from our landfills.
Programs & Projects
Furniture Bank and Service Program
Oyate Tipi community members are referred by one of 22 community based partner agencies including residential facilities, crisis shelters, and other heath agencies. In addition to furniture we also help with other household goods such as kitchen supplies.
Internship Program
Oyate Tipi offers an internship program designed to support students and individuals training for careers in social work. This program provides an opportunity to develop new skills or enhance existing ones, facilitating better career opportunities. Interns gain hands-on experience and work closely with professionals in the field, aiding their professional growth and preparation for future employment.
Volunteer Program
The volunteer program at Oyate Tipi is open to past clients, community members, and anyone interested in contributing to the community while gaining valuable skills. The program aims to assist those struggling to find work by offering practical experience and skill development. Volunteers participate in various activities that not only benefit them professionally but also contribute to the community’s well-being.
Our Social Enterprises
Part of our mandate is to make Oyate Tipi more self sufficient. To help reach this goal we are launching two new social enterprises. The first is our furniture removal service.
The second is our fee for service heat treatment and moving services.
Oyate Tipi and The Environment
Oyate Tipi diverts over 150 tonnes of items annually from landfills through its furniture bank program, responsibly recycling electronics and metals like steel and aluminum. Even unsuitable furniture is offered to community members outside our main programs, embodying our belief that ‘Everything has a value to the right person.
Bedbug Prevention Program
We heat treat all our donated items to prevent the spread of bedbugs in Winnipeg. We accomplish this with our two bedbug eradication chambers which heat up to 150 degrees. This provides a chemical free method of ensuring bedbugs are stopped “dead” in their tracks!
Our Partners
Hire us to remove your furniture
By hiring us for your furniture removal needs, you:
- Pay NO HST
- Receive a charitable tax receipt
- Avoid landfills and save the environment
- Competitive rates with bigger trucks - Get more in a single trip!
- Be a hero and help someone in need!
The funds collected from the fees we charge for our removal services go back into the organization to support our mission of ending furniture poverty.These fees allow us to put our trucks on the road, maintain our warehouse space, and provide gently used furniture to families in need.
