Homeless youth outreach group MY House burgled

WASILLA — While some people might take a lesson on the dark side of human nature from a burglary, this week’s burglary of MY House proved something of a landmark.

A thief or thieves broke into the Willow Street building housing the Gathering Grounds Café with a crowbar overnight Monday, according to officials with the homeless teen outreach group. Once inside, they headed straight for an office containing a small safe, pried it open with the crowbar, and stole between $4,500 and $5,000 in gift certificates, vehicle titles, and the savings of one of the more than 200 homeless teens it serves, officials said.

The stolen gift certificates, food cards, and Walmart cards are given to homeless teens to use to buy groceries, gasoline to get two and from work, and bedding, according to outreach coordinator Jay Dagenhart.

Shortly after discovering the ransacked office and pried-open safe, officials realized, whomever had struck was probably someone who had been in the business before, said Michelle Overstreet, the group’s founder and executive director. She said electronics and other valuables in the building were left in plain sight, yet only the safe was touched.

“We think it was probably a client or somebody who was here with a client,” she said.

The organization has always served Valley residents on the margins of society, and while crime is never acceptable, charitable outreach draws those with both good and bad intentions, Overstreet said.

“It (the burglary) does make us more thoughtful about when we do have clients that have a boyfriend or someone who is not an understanding, upstanding person,” she said. “Word of mouth is the most powerful form of support or advertising we have, but it just lends itself to having kids with a drug problem.”

“This is gonna be part of the deal,” Overstreet added. “When we sign on to work with this group of kids, we’re going to have issues with bad choices.”

The landmark came through the eyes of a client and worker at the Gathering Grounds, which provides professional experience for homeless teens as a stepping stone to meaningful professional experience, and eventually, financial independence.

The client, a recovering addict, saw something familiar in the opened safe and strewn detritus, Overstreet said.

“He had come back to the safe area and he said ‘You know, this is me,’” she said. “‘The person that did this was high on dope and all they could think about was getting more dope.’”

The moment was one of tremendous accomplishment, Overstreet said.

“That’s pretty cool to hear,” she said. “That means they’re on the other side. I just think that’s huge.”

Another client became preoccupied with the notion that people could get the wrong impression of the place they work based on the burglary, Overstreet said.

“‘I don’t want people who do come in to the café to think we’re bad,’” she recalled him saying.

“Oh man is that good to hear,” Overstreet added.

Regulars at the Gathering Grounds, as well as other community members, have contributed gift cards and generally rallied around the café, Overstreet said.

“It shows that they are valued, and doing good,” she said.

Other contributions were more pointed. Northern Industrial Training and Valkyrie Security have teamed up to provide a state-of-the-art security system, complete with high-definition video cameras and installation, officials said.

“We are more than happy that we won’t have to go through something like this again,” Dagenhart said.

Readers wishing to contribute replacement gift cards — ranging from fuel cards to retail cards to fast-food cards — should call 354-4357, officials said. Those wishing to donate money can visit via myhousematsuhomelessyouthcenter.com and click on “Donate Now!”

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269 or brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.

Editor's Note: MY House has also been approved for use with the PFD charity program Pick, Click, Give.