RENTON, Wash. — Thieves made off with $12,000 worth of building materials and construction tools that a Renton housing provider was using to update apartments slated for homeless families to move into.
On Monday, Nov. 20, staff at Vision House in Renton discovered that a storage garage had been burglarized, including items used to make repairs and updates to their properties, including family apartments and a childcare center.
The staff there is currently retrofitting and updating four apartments for families experiencing homelessness. The burglary poses a setback in preparing the units for the families to move into, according to the nonprofit.
The executive director of Vision House, Melissa Gehrig, says the thieves used a sledgehammer to break into the garage and load the materials into their truck parked nearby.
"Thousands of dollars worth of materials [were] there. And each of our staff has their own tool bags, and they were all here; those were taken," she said.
Vision House is an organization that provides transitional housing, childcare and supportive services for families with children to help break the cycle of homelessness. The agency owns and operates 46 units of housing and two childcare facilities in Renton and Shoreline.
"These are materials that we use to prepare apartments for families who are experiencing homelessness, so families living in cars and out in the streets, they're waiting for apartments that we are preparing for them," Gehrig said.
Vision House does have insurance, but Gehrig says it'll only cover about half of what was stolen.
Vision House is asking the community for emergency support to help the families impacted by the burglary. To donate, visit their website.