Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico Submits Complaint about Puerto Rico’s Disaster Recovery Efforts

Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition member Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico submitted a complaint to HUD’s Office of the Inspector General detailing numerous problems with the Puerto Rico Department of Housing’s (PRDOH's) disaster recovery efforts. The complaint alleges that PRDOH failed to provide guidance documents for disaster recovery funds in Spanish as required by civil rights law. Ayuda Legal also claims that the Puerto Rico Action Plan for Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds approved by HUD failed to address any disaster mitigation strategies, focusing instead on the relocation of families in flood plains. The complaint also highlights discrepancies and contradictions between HUD allocation notices, the Puerto Rico Action Plan, and the policies and procedures for the Repair, Reconstruction, or Relocation (R(3)) program set to begin in the coming months. The R(3) program would result in countless families being removed from flood-prone areas in leu of repairing or replacing their damaged housing. The complaint recommends that, in light of these discrepancies and federal civil rights violations, HUD should pause implementation of the R(3) program. 

The full complaint is at: https://bit.ly/2LMJMK9