SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Thieves struck the local non-profit Sacramento Self-Help Housing over the weekend, making off with an estimated $15,000 worth of laptops and equipment.
The organization has been left reeling, trying to figure out how it will serve its many homeless clients during one of the busiest times of the year.
John Foley, executive director of Sacramento Self-Help Housing, said the thieves pried open an outside door of the 1010 Hurley Office Building and went up to the second floor where the majority of the staff work.
He said they went straight for the accounting office.
"They didn’t kick in the other doors,” explained Foley. “So, I think they kicked in the doors to the accounting office, like they thought it might have something of value to them.”
Fortunately, there was no money in the accounting office, Foley said, but the thieves did split the doors, even leaving still-visible shoe marks.
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One of the thieves also left behind a black and purple paint ball mask.
“If anyone recognizes this paintball mask, this is what the guy had on when he was kicking in our door and breaking in,” said Foley. “Whether that was masking his face in case we had cameras or whether it shielded him in case something like exploded when he kicked in the door, I don’t know, but this was his calling card…paintball mask.”
Melissa Baker, the housing services supervisor, said there are deeper wounds than just the physical items which were stolen.
“It just really felt like they violated our space, because, when we come to work, this is our safe space,” explained Baker. “You know, we’re like a family here.”
She said the loss hurts everyone.
“We’re a non-profit. We get our funding through taxpayer money. So they’re really not just robbing us, they’re robbing the community,” she added.
As Foley explained, it’s one of the worst times that such a thing could happen.
“Not having a way to track that information is going to hinder us from quickly helping people get off the street, which is... our goal, especially in the weather right now, which is cold and wet," said Foley.
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