3 days ago
Women's Center of Brevard seeking help after vandals destroy, steal from Melbourne site
The Brief
A non-profit that helps victims of sexual assault and domestic violence was victimized by vandals.
The Women's Center of Brevard suffered extensive damage to their Aurora Road location.
The non-profit is still serving the community at other locations, but needs help with rebuilding.
MELBOURNE, Fla. - A longtime nonprofit in Florida is asking for help after discovering extensive damage from a break-in last week that left their facility vandalized and ransacked.
What we know
Last Thursday, the Women's Center of Brevard team walked into severe destruction at their location on Aurora Road. Almost every room was broken into.
Office supplies were stolen. Vulgar profanity was plastered on the walls with paint and permanent marker. Chairs were thrown into drywall.
The center immediately filed a report with Melbourne Police, who are still investigating. The nonprofit has been serving Brevard County for 50 years, and says they've never been targeted like this. They're raising funds to rebuild and need help with clean-up and donations after the attack.
What we don't know
It's unclear if one person or multiple people attacked the non-profit. It's also unclear what the potential motive was. The Women's Center is still going through their inventory to see how much was taken or damaged.
They still don't know the total amount it will cost to fix the space. The police haven't released any information on a suspect or leads they are following.
What they're saying
The women's center staff is heartbroken but still committed to serving the community and moving forward.
"One of our core values is resiliency, and we will continue to be resilient to make sure we are serving the people in our community that we intended to serve," said Stephanie Husted, who's the Executive Director for the Women's Center of Brevard.
"It's hard to see it the way it is now," Michael Aponte, who's the Director of Victim Services for South Brevard, the location of the Women's Center.
How You Can Help
The nonprofit has started an online fundraiser to help with the costs. They are also asking for office supply donations or help with construction.
Visit their GoFundMe page for more information.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO:
Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines
Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar
Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines
FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV
The Source
FOX 35's Reporter Esther Bower met with the Women's Center team on site on June 3, 2025. She also submitted a request to Melbourne Police about the case report. She is still waiting for details from the police.
