DETROIT – An eastside home being renovated for a disabled veteran by a local charity group had its second furnace stolen in the last year.
Charity group Art for Hearts purchased the home from the Detroit Land Bank and has spent approximately six months renovating as much of it as they can. The renovation is becoming more costly, now that the second furnace was stolen Thursday morning. A basement window was broken by the culprits to gain access to the home.
"A couple grand," group co-founder Roy Sims said of the renovation costs. "And then you have all the damage from previous attempts. Doors, windows, frames, security doors."
Art for Hearts was founded by Roy and Angela Sims in 2016 to introduce art into people's lives as a means to lower stress and to help heart health. The home the group is working on is being provided to a veteran with PTSD and heart problems.
Sims believes that the culprit is experienced in this kind of theft. Since they came in through a broken window, the home's security alarm was not activated until the burglar used the door to leave.
"It's discouraging," Sims said. "How can it not be?"
Sims moved to the U.S. from the U.K. for medical treatment for his own heart problems.
"The treatment just wasn't being given in the U.K.," Sims said. "By 2012, I was living in a hospice."
Neighbors and the contractors working on the home have theories on who could have stolen the furnace. They are working with Detroit police to assist in the investigation.