Rural Development unveils higher income eligibility caps for Puerto Rico
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development state director for Puerto Rico, Maximiliano J. Trujillo-Ortega, announced the implementation of a new income limit table for Puerto Rico families looking to apply for the agency’s Rural Housing Program.
The changes will allow a households of one to four people with an income of $39,550 or households of five to eight people with an income of $52,200 to apply to the agency’s programs across all rural areas of the island.
Before the change, the income eligibility limit varied by municipality. The income limit for a one-to-four person household was $22,600. With these new income limits, more families can now qualify for Rural Development’s Rural Housing Program, Trujillo-Ortega said.
The agency runs several Rural Housing Programs:
- The Rural Home Loans, also known as RH 502 Direct Loan Program, help low- and very-low-income applicants buy decent, safe and sanitary housing in eligible rural areas by providing loans and payment assistance to increase their applicant’s repayment ability.
- The Single Family Housing Repair Loan and Grants, known as the RH 504 Home Repair program, offers loans to low- and very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes.
- The Rural Disaster Home Repair Grant Program provides repair grants for homes impacted by natural disasters in areas designated as a Presidentially Declared Disaster, such as following Hurricane Fiona. This program can provide a grant up to $40,675 if it meets low and very low-income eligibility and other conditions.
