Fresh Start Furnishings merges into Inner County Outreach to expand free home furnishings and wraparound services

Fresh Start Furnishings has merged with Inner County Outreach to form "Fresh Start Furnishings at Inner County Outreach," bringing free home-furnishing support under ICO’s umbrella and linking it to the nonprofit’s broader mental-health, youth and basic-needs services.

Pastor Dr. Nate Johnson, who described ICO as "an outreach of Aberdeen Bible Church," said the collaboration grew from shared goals. "They had a focus on that and . . . we were excited to partner with them because they also had a vision for employment and assisting with other needs," Johnson said. He framed the combined effort as a holistic response to housing and stability challenges for families in Harford, Baltimore and Cecil counties.

Natalie Johnson, ICO’s chief operating officer, said the organization organizes services around family units and uses a "four-blocker" system to track each program’s key performance indicators and risks. "So that's 14 four blockers," she said, describing how program-level snapshots feed an organizational report for the board to identify staffing or resource gaps.

Danielle Johnson, ICO’s clinical director, said ICO connects clinical care to social determinants of health, offering individual and group therapy, crisis stabilization and residential supports alongside services such as food and housing. "We're really looking into crisis stabilization, individual sessions . . . and connecting that to social determinants of health," she said, adding that ICO emphasizes culturally competent training and encourages staff trauma certification.

Ashley Madall, ICO’s finance officer, outlined recent steps to strengthen financial controls, including month-end close procedures and formal approval processes. She said the nonprofit’s "three main funding sources are through grants, state funding, and donations," and noted ICO relies heavily on community giving and an annual fundraiser planned for June.

Pete Dy, the vice president of ICO’s board, said the board helps set strategic direction and sustain services, singling out the organization’s growth in wraparound programming for children and families. "Nonprofits are stronger when they work together," Dy said, describing the merger as a way to extend services across the Harford County region.

Leaders urged community support through volunteering, donations and outreach. For more information or to offer help, the organization asks potential volunteers to use its website contact form at innercountyoutreach.org. The segment aired on Harford MagaScene and focused on how the merged program will furnish homes at no cost while embedding recipients in ICO’s existing supports for housing, food and mental health.

The segment did not report any formal agreements, regulatory actions or government funding awards tied specifically to the merger; ICO leaders said much of their work is grant-funded and relies on donor support. The organization’s leaders encouraged viewers to attend the June fundraiser and to contact ICO through its website for volunteer or donation opportunities.