Perspective: The Cost of Copper, and the Cost of Looking Away

Date Posted: September 24, 2026

Posted In: Ideas, What we are thinking about,

by Tom Finan, Executive Director, Construction Forum

At a church in St. Louis’s Central West End, where I help lead facilities work, we have had four copper thefts that caused roughly $60,000 in damage. The copper itself was worth a few hundred dollars at most.

I recently met with representatives of some 30 churches that have been vandalized. Chief Tracey emphasized the cost of these crimes. Churches are hardly the only targets: construction jobsites, communications networks, and traffic signals are vulnerable, too. A small amount of stolen material can mean extensive repairs, disrupted service, and costs borne by contractors, owners, utilities, and the public.

We have also had people sleeping on our campus. I do not know who committed the thefts, and I will not equate being unhoused with crime. Still, the meeting left me thinking about people living with few options, and about what it costs when our response begins and ends with repairing damage.

A New Approach in Minneapolis

Based on a note from my brother, I read an Urban Land Institute article about Avivo Village in Minneapolis. Avivo and its partners converted a 48,600-square-foot warehouse into an indoor village with 100 private, lockable rooms for people who had been living outside. Staff is there around the clock. Residents can connect with housing assistance, health care, mental health services, and substance use treatment. The project received a 2024 ULI Americas Award for Excellence.

According to Avivo’s figures through July 2026, 873 people have stayed at the village, 339 have moved into safe permanent housing, and staff have reversed 261 overdoses. It is temporary shelter, built to help people take the next step toward a permanent home.

Important work happens here at home, too. I recently spoke with the founder of All Among Us, which reaches people in crisis with food, water, supplies, and connections to services. Its Women’s Care Center provides longer-term housing and support for women recovering from homelessness, trauma, abuse, and substance use. It serves a different population than Avivo, but both organizations understand that a safe place and sustained human support go hand in hand.

Windsor, Ontario, Canada, is exploring what it could learn from Minneapolis. After visiting Avivo, city officials proposed putting 102 private rooms inside a vacant arena next to an existing service hub. Windsor City Council has authorized further study; the project has not been approved for construction.

A Both/And Conversation

For our industry, this has to be a both/and conversation. Churches and other property owners need effective protection from theft and vandalism. The damage is real, and so is the work and money required to make buildings whole again. At the same time, architects, builders, owners, and public agencies can help create places where housing, food, treatment, and other support are within reach.

I cannot claim that an Avivo Village in St. Louis would have prevented any of the thefts at our church. But when a few hundred dollars in copper can cause $60,000 in damage, we should be willing to examine every serious way to reduce that harm. Some crimes committed by people with no apparent way forward carry a very real cost to the built environment. Helping people find a dignified way forward deserves a place in our response.