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PETERSBURG, Virginia (WTVR) — Vandals severely damaged a Habitat for Humanity home under renovation in Petersburg over the weekend, putting a family of five’s planned August 1 move-in date in jeopardy.
Tri-Cities Habitat for Humanity Vice President Bob Hodge said the vandalism happened sometime Saturday afternoon, but the organization did not learn about it until Sunday morning. They have since contacted Petersburg police to investigate.
“Nothing was necessarily taken, but there was a lot of things that were broken and vandalized,” Hodge said.
The home is on St. Mark Street in Petersburg’s Fifth Ward.
Every window on the first floor was busted. The kitchen cabinets were completely gutted. Doors were torn from hinges or kicked in, and on the second level, a broomstick was shoved through a wall.
A nearby Ring doorbell camera captured potential suspects who appear to be young children. Hodge urged parents to stay aware of their children’s whereabouts.
“Keep track of your kids, know what they’re doing, know who they’re running with,” Hodge said.
Tri-Cities Habitat Board Member John Jarrhet said the destruction is difficult to witness.
“I hate to see good work go down the drain,” Jarrhet said.
Habitat says the father of the family planning on moving into the home went to visit the property late Monday afternoon and was devastated by its current condition. The nonprofit says he and his children are in fear of their safety and want Petersburg Police to conduct increased patrols within the neighborhood and throughout the Fifth Ward to deter the vandals from coming back.
Former Virginia State Senator and Petersburg City Council candidate Joe Morrisey was on site Monday with his children to help with the cleanup. Morrisey said the damage extends well beyond the physical structure.
“The margin that Habitat has to operate is razor thin, and for a group of folk to come and vandalize it is heartbreaking,” Morrisey said. “And now because of the extensive vandalism they won’t be able to [move in], and that’s also collateral damage.”
Hodge said the organization must now take stock of the full scope of repairs needed. A spokeperson for the Tri Cities Habitat says the home serves temporary house is used for families who are eligible for the Habitat program, but are still waiting on their permanent home to be built.
The nonprofit says the 15-year-old house serves as a manageable transition for families in need to prepare for the eventual responsibility of their own home. Hodge said the damage is estimated to be several tens of thousand of dollars.
“We’ll have to fall back and do a complete assessment of what’s necessary to fix it up,” Hodge said.
Tri-Cities Habitat says the home was already undergoing renovation to get it ready for the next family, but the damage caused by the vandals nearly erased all the progress made over the past several weeks.
The organization says it is scraping together resources as quickly as possible to restore the home to a livable condition. Both Hodge and Jarrhet are calling on the community for support.
“Any donations would be appreciated,” Hodge said. “It’s a setback to them and it’s a setback to us that it’s happened and we hope it doesn’t happen again.”
“We could use some manpower,” Jarrhet said. “We’re trying to provide decent housing for our low-income residents. This is a setback… and I hope we can make a rebound.”
Anyone willing to donate time, materials, or funds is asked to email kparker.habitat@gmail.com.
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