Windows broken at new violence shelter
The people who led months of intense fundraising for a domestic-violence shelter and promises of an opening by next year, hope the recent shattering of windows at the building by vandals won’t hurt future giving.
The vandalism occurred during the Thanksgiving holiday.
“One of the contractors working on the facility stopped in over the holiday and discovered 23 broken windows,” Delaware Police Capt. Adam Moore said Friday. “Some had been installed and others were inside and had yet to be installed.”
Estimates of the loss range as high as $6,000 to replace the glass.
“It seems to me that it’s kind of a random criminal act,” Moore said. “But we could find out a week from now that someone has a beef with Turning Point.”
Turning Point, based in Marion, is one of Ohio’s largest shelters. It announced plans two years ago to expand into Delaware County.
The first domestic shelter in Delaware County is being funded entirely through donations. Just over $2 million of the $3.2 million goal has been reached to complete renovation of the former church and school.
“Hopefully people will be moved by this to continue to donate,” said Carol O’Brien, Delaware County prosecutor, who is co-chairwoman of the fundraising campaign.
“When I first heard about it, it was like a punch in the gut,” O’Brien said. “It makes your heart sick. There’s so much work that’s been put into something that is only going to help people. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
“The irony is that the victims of this are trying to help those who are victims of crime,” Moore said.
Police are asking the public for help. The building is in a remote spot north of the city and the Delaware County Fairgrounds. So far, they’ve received just one call about the incident, but that didn’t lead to suspects, Moore said.
Paula Roller, Turning Point’s director, said she was disappointed by the vandalism.
“It’s a beautiful spot on 7 acres. It’s back from the street. To me, it’s a crime of opportunity for somebody with too much time on their hands,” she said.