Severe Flooding and Sewage Backup on the East Side Damages FSRI Hope Street Office
PROVIDENCE, RI — On Saturday, July 17th, Family Service of Rhode Island (FSRI’s) office at 55 Hope Street in Providence experienced a severe flooding event. A combination of heavy rains and a damaged sewage line caused septic waste from the East Side neighborhood to surge up through the Hope Street offices, contaminating the carpet, walls, and air quality in our AIDS Project Rhode Island (APRI), Outpatient, Psychiatry, and Child Trauma program spaces, as well as our waiting room.
FSRI teams immediately pivoted to provide services remotely, but for the good of their clients who need in-person support, they need to get the office back up and running ASAP to minimize further impact.
Sewage-soaked carpets and walls will need to be demolished and rebuilt, and supplies replaced – such as therapeutic play kits for kids and food for our pantries.
“The smell and damage this caused to the carpets, drywall, and supplies in the office is horrendous. Although insurance will cover some of the damage, there are so many losses that we will need help from the community to cover the costs so we can get our programs back up and running,” said Dave Cooley, Project and Facilities Director at Family Service of Rhode Island. “This location is used daily for therapeutic services and extensive work will be needed to us get back to normal operations.”
A capital campaign has been created to offset the cost of the extensive damage left uncovered, estimated to be $10,000 above the $10,000 covered by insurance.
Donations can be made by texting the word “FSRIHOPE” to 44321, or by visiting the donation page set up here.