A brand-new emergency shelter in Hampton built to house 45 to 50 survivors of domestic violence won't open this year after vandals broke in twice, stripped the building of copper piping and HVAC equipment, and made off with three commercial refrigerators. The nonprofit behind the project, Transitions Family Violence Services, now estimates repairs will cost between $250,000 and $300,000.
The damage at the North Star shelter was discovered as contractors and vendors were wrapping up work on the building in late spring, according to WAVY. Police say the vandalism took place sometime between May 30 and June 16, and a police report from that latter date found that copper piping connected to the air-conditioning units had been cut and multiple commercial-grade air-conditioning units had been removed entirely. The same report stated that two heat pumps on the property had been dismantled and stripped of their materials and components.
Thieves Returned for a Second Break-In
Shelter organizers say they were hit not once but twice. Lindsey Budd, the organization's director of programs, said she noticed two TVs plugged in when she arrived to drop off donations, and later found the shelter's security camera covered in shaving cream. She and Jondahlyn Holston, the group's interim executive director, called police after discovering the security system had been destroyed.
Vandals stripped the HVAC units down to their shells and cut copper pipes in the attic, where fingerprints were later found on a board that appeared to have been moved toward the cut copper, the station's report notes. In total, more than 3,800 pounds of copper piping had been removed from the property. Shelter organizers believe the intruders may have lived inside the building during the break-ins, taking bedding and setting up a television, and they believe the vandals also took three brand-new commercial refrigerators and caused flooding during the second break-in, after the heat pumps were dismantled, which damaged the kitchen and pantry.
Hotline Office and Donated Supplies Destroyed
The vandalism also destroyed the office where the organization's 24/7 hotline operates, and damaged donation-drive items that had come from local churches and other organizations. Per the same account, a Hampton detective told Holston the break-in appeared to involve more than one person and looked like a coordinated operation rather than a random act. Holston, who asked WAVY's Kiahnna Patterson to help look into the case, said the North Star shelter symbolizes a pathway to safety and hope for survivors, and that security remains a top priority for the people it's meant to serve.
“We were hit twice,” organizers told the station, describing how the damage piled up between the two incidents. Budd said vandals took the building's essential components, including the copper piping that once fed its climate-control systems, leaving the shelter without working HVAC equipment just as it was nearing completion.
Shelter Now Seeks Volunteers and Funding
The shelter had been scheduled to open during the summer, but organizers say that won't happen in 2026 because of the scope of the damage. Transitions Family Violence Services is now asking for volunteer partnerships with licensed electricians, HVAC technicians, plumbers, general contractors, security companies and cleaning crews, and Budd said the organization needs financial support to recover. Holston said the group is determined to work toward recovery and plans to open the emergency shelter as soon as possible with volunteer help.
Transitions Family Violence Services otherwise offers emergency housing at undisclosed locations for adults and children fleeing domestic violence, according to the organization's website, which states that all of its housing services are confidential and provided at no cost. The setback adds to a broader strain on shelter capacity across the state: Virginia's Department of Social Services tracks the number of victims who are turned away for lack of bed space, and the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance reported that 664 survivors were turned away from emergency shelter statewide in 2025, tying the shortfall to federal funding cuts. A 2025 state report noted that domestic and sexual violence remains prevalent across every socioeconomic level, culture and religion in Virginia.
