Lawmakers seek more Puerto Rico assistance

HARTFORD — Activists and others are imploring the federal government to provide housing assistance for Puerto Rican citizens still living in Connecticut after Hurricane Maria destroyed their homes last fall.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Tuesday said the Trump administration is trying to end payments despite the fact that 21 of the island’s U.S. citizens are living in Connecticut hotels — and hundreds more are bunking with friends and relatives — in communities ranging from Shelton and New Haven to Hartford.

A Massachusetts federal judge over the weekend ordered the Federal Emergency Management Administration to extend housing payments to July 23, weeks past a previous FEMA deadline to halt the money.

“Rather than this selfinflicted lurching from one crisis to another, why not use the shelter disaster assistance program to provide a long-term and permanent bridge for these families?” Blumenthal said during a news conference.

“There is no action from Congress necessary, no executive order,” he said. “FEMA just has to do the right thing.”

Later on Tuesday, FEMA issued a news release announcing that Hurricane Maria survivors can “take advantage” of free air fare back to Puerto Rico.

The release also said “Transitional Sheltering Assistance was extended to July 23 to comply with a court order. The program provides direct payments to hotels to temporarily shelter survivors while they seek other long-term housing solutions.”

The release made no mention of the administration’s efforts to shut off those payments.

Richard Porth, director of the United Way of Connecticut, said hundreds of Puerto Rican residents living in the state need assistance.

“Watching what happened has been frustrating,” Porth said. “There were over 200 hotel placements when it started out. It’s now down to 21, but that is not the extent of what is needed.”

Porth said there are “many hundreds more who are doubled up and tripled up in the communities across the state.”

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said FEMA treated the Puerto Rican recovery differently from other disasters.

“We are asking for relief to help rebuild the thousands and thousands of lives that were uprooted — and living around the country,” Bronin said. “Nearly 500 students enrolled in Hartford schools mid-year this year.”