Thieves hit Habitat building site twice in 6 weeks

A Fredericton charity is shocked after one of its building sites was broken into for the second time in just six weeks.

On Wednesday morning, Habitat for Humanity Area Inc., discovered the latch to its utility trailer cut and a number of power tools and hand tools gone.

"That's what we were greeted with … it was very disappointing," said Perry Kendall, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Fredericton.

"Thankfully, we had removed a lot from the trailer for another project we started."

The charity, which builds houses in the area, was building one on Clark Street for a local family.

The break-in was the fifth theft from the Fredericton non-profit organization since 2010.

Kendall said vandals also tried to enter the house by the back door and basement windows, and significant damage was done to the structure.

"As a non-profit charitable organization whose sole purpose is to construct homes for low-income families, these acts against us are both expensive and disheartening," the organization said in a Facebook post.

Every year, the charity's goal is to put 10 families into homes, Kendall said.

However, when break-ins like this happen, it slows things down and can delay moving ahead with other projects.

Not the first time

Kendall said the charity consists of a small team that puts a lot of effort into fundraising.

"It's really disheartening when this kind of thing happens and some of that goes to waste," he said.

On July 5, the group discovered the theft of two deck platforms constructed for the house. The platforms were being stored outside the ReStore until they could be moved to the build site.

The charitable organization has notified Fredericton police and is reviewing its security procedures.