Published: July 01, 2009 11:58 pm      

NIAGARA FALLS: Tools taken from Habitat for Humanity garage

Claudia Folsom was steaming mad. And frustrated and discouraged.

After hundreds of hours of hard work by Habitat for Humanity volunteers in the Echota neighborhood of Niagara Falls, which was celebrated last weekend as part of a triumphant block party, someone stole the tools they’ve been using to help bring the neighborhood back to life, according to Folsom, the group’s president.

Sometime Saturday morning someone beat at the metal door of the Habitat for Humanity garage. Even though the locks held, the door gave way and burglars took a chop saw and an armload of power tools, all of which are necessary to the work of home-building, about $1,500 in losses overall.

“This is the second time in two years,” Folsom said.

Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization staffed by volunteers that has been creating affordable homes in the region and promoting homeownership. The group, which has renovated one house and is nearing completion on the third new build in Echota, just finished the foundation for a forth home this week as part of their efforts to fortify the architecturally historic district just off Hyde Park Boulevard near Buffalo Avenue. The Dupont corporation has given Habitat for Humanity 21 lots there, 16 of which are buildable. Volunteers are building homes valued about $112,000, which are sold to the homeowners for $75,000 with private, no interest mortgages.

In response to the crime, Police Superintendent John Chella said that he will be ordering special police checks in the area. He also said he will contact Echota representatives.

“I will reach out to the Echota Block Club and find out if there’s something more we can do from an education standpoint,” he said.

Chella noted that the city has recently applied for more funding from a state crime impact program that will be targeted to enhance community relations and put a stop to the burglaries.

For the past few years the city has received up to $400,000 for additional crime fighting from that state program. This year’s allocation will allow the police department to place a “heavy emphasis” on burglary prevention, Chella said.

The thieves may slow the progress of the construction of the home, but they will not stop the forward movement of the community, Folsom said.

“Right now, we're just going to try our best to limp along with what we've got. Over a period of time we'll replace the tools as we are able,” Folsom said.

“It’s a bump in the road. When they wiped us out last year we had nothing left but a few screwdrivers,” she said. “Guess what? We finished the house, started another one, have almost finished that one and now we've started a third one.”

“It’s discouraging, but each time God steps in,” she said. “It gets taken care of.”

Contact reporter Michele DeLuca at 282-2311, ext. 2263.