SAN BERNARDINO - Burglars broke into a foundation
office for homeless women and children Sunday, taking an
estimated $15,000 in property and leaving the
already-strained organization to figure out how it will
stay afloat.
The economic downturn was already stretching thin the
Time for Change Foundation, a group that operates two
homeless shelters in the city. The number of clients
seeking shelter has jumped about 36 percent this year
and the amount of community support has declined, said
director Kim Carter.
"My clients are here today and they're just
devastated," Carter said. "They're really afraid that I
may not be able to recover from this."
The thieves smashed the front window of the office in
the 2100 block of North Arrowhead Avenue sometime late
Saturday or early Sunday. Carter said the burglars ran
off with a computer, hard drive, printer, video camera,
laptop, a 13-inch television, telephone, scanner, toner
cartridges and even her office chair.
And while those items can eventually be replaced,
Carter said the burglars took other more personal items,
including a DVD case containing television footage
regarding Time for Change, training videos, and footage
of past foundation events.
"They came in here and literally wiped me out," she
said. She discovered her insurance company would not
cover the loss.
San Bernardino police said the crime appears to be a
random burglary. Detectives were seeking any information
that would lead them to identifying suspects. "There are
no investigative leads at this time," said San
Bernardino police Lt. Dan Keil.
The Time For Change Foundation has operated shelters
for women and children since 2002. Its clients include
women recovering from mental, physical and substance
abuse, as well as incarceration.
This past year, Carter says, women who were simply
laid off from their jobs and evicted from their homes
have been seeking the foundation's help.
"We have a new face on homelessness now," she said.
Donations may be made to the Time for Change Recovery
Fund, P.O. Box 5753, San Bernardino, 92412. Carter said
gift cards for office-supply stores are welcome.
Information: (909) 886-2994 or at www.timeforchange.us.
Anyone with information on the burglary may call San
Bernardino police, (909) 384-5615.
