House keys handed over to 100 families through R3 program

Housing Secretary William Rodríguez Rodríguez

By The Star Staff

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia and Housing Secretary William Rodríguez Rodríguez gave 100 Puerto Rico families the keys to new houses built under the Housing Repair, Reconstruction or Relocation Program (R3).

Funded with Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program funds, the R3 Program has served more than 7,500 families, of which 5,000 have received a completely rebuilt or repaired house.

“The R3 Program, which rebuilds, repairs or relocates families whose homes were affected or destroyed by hurricanes Irma and Maria, is one of the most important tools to guarantee decent housing for our people,” the governor said. “Through the program, we have rebuilt over 5,000 residences in the past two years, and over 1,200 additional properties are under construction. I am honored to be part of this moment in which we are handing over the keys to their homes to over 100 Puerto Rican families, marking a moment of great importance for their well-being and future.”

Rodríguez stated that “without a doubt, this day is significant for all of us who work in the Department of Housing and for each family that today receives the keys to a safe home.”

“Since we came to lead the department, our priority has been to streamline all processes so that the recovery funds serve their purpose,” he said. “With this delivery, we see the result of long months of work; today, we celebrate with each family.”

After achieving full access to recovery funds and gaining the federal government’s trust, Rodríguez said, the governing administration has made adjustments that allow for significant numbers of home deliveries. Among the adjustments established at the programmatic level are a change in the chronology of the process, allowing the execution of three steps simultaneously. Design and permitting are now concurrent with the environmental assessment.

The Housing secretary added that “this is the satisfactory culmination of a process that began with the painful impact of the hurricanes but has ended with the satisfaction of a better quality of life for thousands of Puerto Ricans.”

Pierluisi noted that at the start of his administration, there were fewer than 500 residences delivered.

“Today, we can say that we have served 7,500 families because we have acted with agility and efficiency to make use of the federal funds that we have available, and thanks to the relationship we have with the administration of President Biden that has allowed us to make processes more flexible to move ahead on the reconstruction,” the governor said.