Housing Secretary William Rodríguez Rodríguez
By THE STAR STAFF
The island Department of Housing has advised more than 51,000 people, through Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds, on how to acquire a new home or improve their quality of life by managing their finances.
“We surpassed the goal and continue to offer the necessary guidance that helps families have long-term stability,” Housing Secretary William Rodríguez Rodríguez said in written remarks. “In 2022, the Housing Counseling Program offered over 29,000 courses, and we highlight it because it means that more Puerto Rican families already have the necessary information to achieve the dream of buying their own home, while thousands of other buyers are already living in a new house.”
Rodríguez endorsed a recent law that creates an expedited process for those affected by the 2017 hurricanes and 2020 earthquakes to obtain the title deeds to their homes.
The Housing Counseling Program offers an eight-hour course that, among other topics, guides participants on how to improve their credit and efficiently manage their budget. The course, provided by six advisory agencies authorized by the Housing Department and certified by the U.S. government, culminates in a certificate for the participant that is necessary to access other aid from recovery programs.
Rodríguez said one of the greatest benefits of the Housing Counseling Program is that it encourages Puerto Rico residents to buy their own home using information about opportunities in the market, including those offered by the agency itself through the $60,000 that the Direct Home Buyer Assistance program may award to purchase a new home.
“This advice is part of the requirements that the participant who requests the help we offer to buy a home must complete,” the Housing secretary said about the link between the two programs. “Therefore, we want to
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