To ensure affordable housing access is a priority

Existing challenges

Although it is estimated that 43.5% of Puerto Rico’s population lives below the poverty line², only about 1 in 5 households receives public housing assistance. According to a Department of Housing and Urban Development report¹, there were more than 25,000 unanswered public housing assistance applications and more than 8,000 on the waiting list of the housing choice voucher program, commonly known as "Section 8 vouchers."³. 57% of renters and 42% of homeowners invested more than 1/3 of their income in rent or mortgage payment. Maintaining home access becomes a costly investment that results in savings, on the one hand, and shortages in other areas.⁴

Hurricane Maria’s extensive impact on Puerto Rico:

• Over 500,000 homes were damaged.

• More than 185,000 houses suffered major damage.

• 62% of FEMA requests for disaster assistance were denied for not being able to prove ownership.⁵

• The cost of homeownership clarification cases ranges from $5,000 to $20,000.⁶

• There is a high demand for workers in home repair and improvement, and shortage of skilled construction labor.

• Encountering refusals to provide assistance, informal construction increases, compromising safety standards and regulatory compliance.