COC PR-502 gets $16M HUD allocation to help Puerto Rico’s homeless

The PR-502 Continuing Care System (CoC PR-502) received approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for 37 projects amounting to approximately $16 million, announced Belinda Hill, chairwoman of the CoC PR-502 Board of Directors, and Ciení Rodríguez-Troche, secretary of the Department of the Family.
The funds are aimed at providing housing assistance and support services for the homeless in 24 northern Puerto Rico municipalities
The Department of the Family, a collaborating agency of CoC PR-502, is tasked with preparing and annually submitting the funding request to HUD. This process involves collaborative planning with municipalities, agencies and nonprofit organizations that are part of CoC PR-502.
CoC PR-502, which competes with about 300 similar continuums of care across the United States, submits an annual proposal to HUD for funds to support services for the homeless provided by its member entities.
“HUD requires that the Homeless People Count be conducted every two years; however, CoC PR-502 decided to carry out this count annually to better understand the profile and needs of homeless people in Puerto Rico,” stated Hill.
Based on the collected data, the Department of the Family submitted the funding request in September and learned this week that 37 projects, including five new ones, were approved. Notably, three of the new projects focus on assisting victims of violence: Alelí Housing of Hogar Ruth, the Open House Program of Instituto Prevocacional e Industrial, and Juntos por Ti of the Municipality of Vega Baja.
The most recent homeless count was also conducted this week.
“It’s extremely important to carry out this count since, with that information, we can design and plan to offer the services that the homeless population really needs,” said Liz Mónica Lambay, executive director of CoC PR-502.
“The results of the 2024 count must be presented in June and these data will help us submit the proposal for next year,” she added.