Loíza, Puerto Rico, January 8, 2025 – Maximiliano J. Trujillo-Ortega, USDA Rural Development's State Director for Puerto Rico, announced today in the municipality of Loíza the grants awarded during Fiscal Years 2023 to 2025 to 145 families whose homes were affected by Hurricane Fiona.
Trujillo-Ortega indicated that the municipalities that received the most assistance were the municipalities of: Loíza where funds were obligated to repair 11 homes for a total grant of $450,162, Guayanilla funds were obligated to repair 16 homes for a total grant of $561,665, in Utuado 15 homes for a total grant of $328,124 and in Jayuya 12 homes for a total grant of $303,593.
A total of 35 families will be impacted in FY 2025 with $1,107,504 in subsidies, 90 families were benefited with this aid with a total grant of $2,577,806 in FY 2024, and twenty families were benefited in FY 2023 with a subsidy of $491,979, for a total subsidy of $4,177,289.
This grant Pilot Program provides to low or very low-income homeowners, housing loans and grants to repair disaster-related damage to their homes in Presidential Declared Areas. The maximum grant was $42,920 for eligible families.
Repairing homes in rural communities in Puerto Rico can be a challenging task due to lack of documents and other challenges. The staff of USDA Rural Development Puerto Rico and its Offices in Washington DC have collaborated to find solutions to face these challenges and in turn serve as an example in other jurisdictions. "For example, in the municipality of Coamo, emergency funds were used to subsidize the construction of a retaining wall. This innovation to the program is now available in other rural areas of the United States," said Trujillo-Ortega.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunity and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements, business development, housing, community facilities such as schools, public safety and healthcare, and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/pr.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunity, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for residents of rural areas.
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