Juan Rosario, administrator of the Public Housing Administration (AVP) in Puerto Rico, confirmed that 18,832 families are waiting to be granted a lease on an apartment in a public housing project. The wait comes as affordable housing is part of public debate because of inaccessibility and high costs in the market. He added that 840 people holding Section 8 vouchers are also waiting for housing.
Rosario said interventions by authorities in public housing projects have borne fruit regarding units that had been used for criminal purposes such as drug and weapons trafficking. He said the AVP works daily with the FBI, HSI and the Puerto Rico Police to recover units. As of the day of the interview, approximately 410 units have been recovered, which he called an achievement not seen in a long time.
Those 410 units represent opportunities to rehabilitate apartments and put them directly at the service of residents, both in prime areas such as the metropolitan area and in central towns like Adjuntas and Jayuya. Rosario said the AVP has a great deal of inventory and the need exists, but officials could not explain why many numbers did not add up.
Through intelligence work and collaboration with the Puerto Rico Police, the agency established mechanisms that allowed it to recover the 410 units.