More than 2,000 families have faced eviction proceedings in Puerto Rico during 2026, amid a housing crisis that leaves many people without clear alternatives when they cannot pay rent. Ariadna Godreau Aubert, executive director of the nonprofit Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico, which provides guidance and assistance in housing and other civil rights cases, warned in a radio interview that the situation particularly affects older adults, people with disabilities and families with children.
Godreau said the island still lacks enough mechanisms to prevent vulnerable people from being evicted without an identified place to live. She also questioned delays in reports and procedures that agencies such as the Family and Housing departments must carry out in these cases. The attorney noted that month-to-month rental contracts have become common, a practice that, in her view, increases tenants’ insecurity and leaves them exposed to losing their homes on short notice.
Among the alternatives she proposed are establishing more stable minimum terms for rental contracts and strengthening government intervention when eviction proceedings involve older adults, people with disabilities or minors. Godreau insisted that the lack of affordable housing and rising rental costs call for concrete measures to keep more families from being displaced or left without an immediate housing option.