Colorado organization's secondhand furniture store gives people a second chance

Finding work while being homeless or formerly incarcerated is a challenge. It's part of a cycle that keeps talented people from becoming productive members of society. If you shop at Denver's newest furniture boutique, workers say you're saving money and saving lives.

No one ever pictured Christopher Jackson showing furniture, but he sees some of the items in himself.

"This dining set is one of my favorites," said Jackson, pointing to it. "It's a glass table, but if you look at it, it's shattered."

He showed CBS Colorado's Tori Mason the broken pieces glued into art.

Before Jackson was in the furniture showroom, he ran with gangs on the street.

"I was searching for myself, and I didn't know where to look. I came in pretty broken," Jackson said. "I found The Other Side Academy through a family member. I literally walked up to the front door, and they welcomed me in with open arms."

He now works at The Other Side Academy's new furniture boutique at 3125 N Federal Boulevard in Denver. He says, when you shop there, buying secondhand furniture gives people in the community a second chance at life.

The Other Side Academy helps men and women who have hit rock bottom -- through experiences such as homelessness, and addiction -- and trys to break the cycle of incarceration.

"They write us a letter when they're incarcerated, and we'll go out to the jail and interview them. If it's a good fit, we'll send them a letter of acceptance, and that letter of acceptance will go to the judge," explained Lola Strong, managing director of The Other Side Academy.

The Other Side Furniture Boutique offers students vocational training opportunities such as retail skills, point of sale management, showroom staging, warehouse and inventory management. Participants learn how to run every aspect of a business, from marketing and sales to bookkeeping and customer service.

Jackson says he's learned stability.

"It's a lot of new things for me, but I'm excited about my future," Jackson said. "I've never felt support like I do now. I'm learning that this is how I should be living for the rest of my life."

Strong says 79% of students remain drug free, crime free and employed. She has her own story of personal transformation. Strong battled heroin addiction, and now help others put their lives together.

"Our students have struggled to keep a job in the past, not only because of their additions and criminal activity, but because of their underlying behaviors of lying, cheating and being manipulative," Strong told CBS Colorado. "I know because I used to be just like them. The exciting part is that they can change and become productive members of the community just like I did.

Strong was recently recognized by the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce as one of Denver's Most Powerful Women.

All sales at the boutique go back to the program. The furniture being sold is donated, but in the showroom, it looks new.

Here, things and people that were once undervalued can have value again.

"We don't take any government funding, no state subsidies, no federal subsidies. We own and operate our own vocational training schools. Any money that's generated covers the operational expenses, so our students can come and get the help that they need for free," Strong said.

The organization is already in the process of expanding its programs, so it can help more people in the Denver metro area.

Anyone interested in donating to the furniture boutique can call The Other Side Academy, and it will come pick up your furniture for free. 

For more information, call 303-335-9488 or visit The Other Side Academy website.