Leaders talk housing for Puerto Ricans
Central Florida leaders on Thursday urged Gov. Rick Scott to prioritize long-term housing solutions for Puerto Rican families who have fled the island, as thousands of evacuees are expected to settle here permanently.
“The issues that I’m hearing here are issues that have been brought,” state Sen. Victor Torres, D-Kissimmee, said during a roundtable discussion with the governor in Orlando. “Get them out of the hotels, get them out of the cars, get them out of places where they don’t belong with their kids — that’s my goal.”
More than three months after Hurricane Maria devastated the island, volunteers at the Multi-Agency Resource Center are still helping to connect thousands of people with jobs, schools, health insurance, driver’s licenses and temporary hotel vouchers.
Some expressed concern about Florida’s lack of affordable housing for evacuees, as
the wave of people moving to the state from the island grows daily.
“We asked for mobile homes from FEMA. They said it couldn’t be done because the evacuees don’t fall under Irma … they fall under Maria,” Torres said. “You know, governor, Puerto Rico was hit by Irma. To me, these are Americans that have served our country, these are Americans that deserve a better quality of life.”
Kissimmee Mayor Jose Alvarez stressed that FEMA’s Direct Lease program, which pays up to 18 months of rent for affected families, could benefit evacuees in his city. But the program can only be requested by the Puerto Rican government. It has been requested for the island but not for Florida.
“I continue to ask the same thing to try to see if we could find a way around whatever the policy is to do the long-term housing because it’s an issue that keeps growing by the day,” Alvarez said.
Scott stressed that Florida cannot benefit from the program without the Puerto Rican government’s request.
“Affordable housing is an issue that we had before Irma and Maria happened, and it’s continued. There’s a lot of work we have to do to get that done,” Scott said.
The government of Puerto Rico requested a 60-day extension of the Temporary Sheltering Assistance program, which was approved Dec. 29 and could now prolong hotel stays until March 20 for qualifying families.
Volunteers expressed similar concerns.
“Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit a family that they’re living in a mobile home in the east side of town, and they are living 11 people in that mobile home,” said Marytza Sanz, director of Latino Leadership, a nonprofit group that has assisted with relief efforts.
Sanz added that of the more than 6,000 families that her organization has helped upon their arrival, about 95 percent of them plan to stay.
The roundtable event — which was held at MARC’s new location near Orlando International Airport — was hosted by Scott and gathered community organizations, educational leaders and lawmakers to air their concerns about Puerto Ricans displaced by the storm.
“I’m amazed at how well this community has rallied ... and how small the problems have been relative to what you would expect with 300,000 people coming to the state,” Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said.
Despite challenges with housing, Scott praised local leaders for their efforts at getting Puerto Rican children enrolled in the school system quickly and helping adults find jobs. The governor pledged to support ongoing relief efforts.
“Fortunately, the Orlando-Orange County job market has more job openings — has added more in the last seven years and the last year — than any place in the state,” Scott said.