‘Why would somebody break into a free store?’ Thefts close Colorado clothing bank

A Denver clothing bank for homeless people has been forced to close its doors after an inexplicable series of break-ins.

“Why would somebody break into a free store?” Travis Singhaus, founder of the Impact Humanity operation, asked KUSA. “We don’t take any cash at all.”

The store, which provided clothing, cold-weather gear and other items, has been broken into at least five times in 2021, racking up thousands of dollars in damage, KCNC reported.

“Our insurance company has said at this point they will no longer insure us at this location,” Singhaus told KMGH.

“Every time I walk into this building, it breaks my heart,” he told KUSA. The clothing bank served about 2,500 people a month.

Posting on Facebook, Singhaus said he hopes to open a new Humanity Community Resource Center in the future that will continue and expand on the work of the Impact Humanity store.

“Over the last four years we’ve learned from a number of lessons and going forward it’s time to make some dramatic improvements, not just to improve how we serve people but because at a time when Denver has seen a huge spike in our homeless population due to the economy, real long term solutions are needed now more than ever!” the post reads.

He told KCNC he hopes to find a bigger location where he can add a classroom to teach job skills, a barber station to help people prepare for interviews, and a computer lab. Singhaus hopes to raise enough money to open the new center soon.

“Every minute this store is shut down, every day is going to kill me,” he told KMGH.

This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 1:10 PM with the headline "‘Why would somebody break into a free store?’ Thefts close Colorado clothing bank."