Burst pipe displaces families at transitional housing facility

Winter has dealt another blow to several families who were already struggling when a frozen pipe recently burst at a transitional building in Manchester.

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The Way Home has been helping families pick up the pieces of their lives for 26 years. The Manchester nonprofit is a critical link in managing homelessness in New Hampshire, but it has been shut down for more than a week since a pipe burst.

Water flooded the ceiling, walls and floors, and all of the electrical wiring was ruined.

Phone lines have been down for days, and six families relying on the facility have been displaced. They are now staying at a hotel for what could be weeks.

"Down on my luck is an understatement," said displaced tenant Mariah Roux. "It just keeps getting worse for me at this point."

"It was very devastating seeing them try to take out what they had left," said Diane Pitts, program director for The Way Home. "They needed to be homeless to come in here, and here they are, homeless again. So it's a double whammy for them, so helping them through that process is rewarding."

A storage trailer holds the belongings that weren't ruined in the flood.

Roux said it has been a rough year for her and her 12-year-old son. They have been living at The Way Home since July as they try to start over.

"Once we're done here at the hotel, I've got to scramble and try to find a place for me and my kids to stay in the meantime," Roux said. "Hopefully, I'll be able to get a job and just go into an apartment."

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Burst pipe displaces families at transitional housing facility