Thieves Target 3 Habitat For Humanity Homes Within Hours

EASTPOINTE (WWJ) - Three Habitat for Humanity homes that were under construction in Eastpointe and almost ready for needy families to occupy were pilfered over the weekend by thieves who took furnaces, hot water heaters and in one case, a central air conditioning unit.

Helen Hicks, Executive Director of Macomb Habitat, said they first learned about one of the break-ins on Sunday, so they sent an inspector out to check on all of their homes. That's when they discovered that three homes were actually targeted.

"This is very unusual for us but actually kind of frightening," Hicks told WWJ's Ron Dewey. "How can three happen in the same time period? So, it's almost like somebody was watching the homes. Somebody was apart of something."

Hicks said the organization has dealt with thefts before, but nothing of this magnitude.

"In the past we have had homes that were broken into and we've had at least one furnace that was taken in the last five years," she said. "The community is always so good to Habitat, you know, they watch our homes and the volunteers that work in the neighborhood and help us, they usually keep an eye on our homes. So, it's a little disturbing that this happened."

The organization is now looking into adding security systems to their homes, which will ultimately drive up the cost of construction.

"For a long time we've talked about putting some sort of security system in place. We never have in the past, the community has been our watchdog, but I think that's changing now," said Hicks. "We're going to be spending the day looking into a variety of products that would be useful to us. That will mean more money, nothing is free, so again that will be a huge challenge for us moving forward."

If there's any silver lining, Hicks says a local contractor, Randazzo Heating and Cooling, has offered to replace the equipment free of charge.

"It's just really incredible and amazing," said Hicks. "There's a lot of great, wonderful and kind people out there and we can't thank them enough."

Police in Eastpointe are investigating the thefts but have yet to make any arrests.

Anyone who would like to donate to Habitat For Humanity can do so at macombhabitat.org.