As President Donald Trump continues his pursuit of better trade deals, lumber, cabinets and upholstered wooden furniture are the latest products to see tariffs.
However, one organization trying to do good might be caught in the crosshairs of international trade relations.
At Sleep in Heavenly Peace the mission is simple: “No kids sleep on the floor in our town.” They estimate 3% of the child population nationwide doesn’t have a bed to sleep on at night. To meet the need, the nonprofit has helped deliver over 300,000 beds nationally since 2012. South Dakota-based chapters work to meet the need locally as well.
However, those efforts might come at a higher price come Oct. 14. That’s because President Trump announced a new 10% tariff on foreign softwood lumber and timber. That could increase the price of beds Sleep in Heavenly Peace provides.
Nicole Hofer is President of the Sioux Falls Chapter. She said new tariffs shouldn’t play a factor yet but could affect future costs of their operation if trade negotiations aren’t resolved ahead of the October 14 enactment.
“We typically try to get lumber in bunk sizes so we can keep costs down. Because we take raw lumber and cut it to the specs of the beds that we deliver. We deliver single-sized beds, twin-sized and bunk beds, all the same specks, and so basically it would bring up the costs of each of our beds if lumber goes up," Hofer said. "So, yeah it would definitely affect our organization especially across the United States because all of our beds that we build and deliver for kids are made from lumber.”
She said currently they source lumber locally from Paradigm Lumber, as well as through the nonprofit’s national sponsor Lowe’s. The latter could play a big role in what they can provide.
“Depending on the location and the store managers, they do give us discounts here and there. So, that would probably adjust too depending on what they can get in for lumber because supply and demand will definitely play an effect on what we can do, what we can build and how many kids we can get beds to," Hofer said. "Obviously if it gets a lot more expensive then that will just, it’ll just slow down production. So, it’s unfortunate.”
Hofer said there’s a real need for beds in Sioux Falls. Since July last year, the Sleep in Heavenly Peace Sioux Falls Chapter has delivered just under 50 beds a month to children between the ages of 3-17. She said that need isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The local nonprofit accepts applications and organization referrals for families in need.
