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USDA Indicate that $42,920 is the New Maximum Possible Grant Amount to Repair Homes that Suffered Damage from Hurricane Fiona.

Name
Miguel Ramirez
Email
miguel.ramirez@usda.gov
Phone
305-342-9153
City
San Juan
Release Date

Funds help people in eligible rural areas repair homes damaged by disasters declared by President Biden in 2022

 

WASHINGTON, April  19, 2024 – USDA Rural Development Assistant Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden announced today that USDA is seeking applications for the  Rural Disaster Home Repair Grant Program.

People in Puerto Rico can apply for donations of up to $42,920 until September 30, 2024, or while the funds last.  This program has $47 million available in funding nationwide. Maximiliano J. Trujillo-Ortega, State Director of USDA Rural Development, indicated that the office in Puerto Rico has already committed $1,958,394 from the Single-Family Disaster Funds and trusts that eligible citizens will take advantage of this opportunity to fix up their homes.

USDA launched the program last year to help people repair or relocate homes damaged by the president's calendar-year 2022 disasters in Puerto Rico. The eligible disaster declares for this program are: FEMA-4649-DR for the March 2022 rains that include areas of the municipalities of Dorado, Toa Baja, Vega Alta and Vega Baja, and FEMA-4671-DR corresponding to damage from Hurricane Fiona that includes eligible rural areas of Puerto Rico. Through funding opportunities like this, USDA is ready to help people access the resources they need to rebuild their homes, their communities, and their lives.

Grants can be used to:

  1. Pay for home repair expenses that were the result of a natural disaster or severe weather in calendar year 2022.
  2. Prepare a plot for a prefabricated house.
  3. Relocate a manufactured home.

Trujillo-Ortega said that to be eligible in Puerto Rico, applicants must own their homes and have a household income that does not exceed the low limits based on their household size, which on the island is $39,550 for a family of 1 to 4 people and $52,200 for a family of 5 to 8 people. Homes must be located in an eligible rural area and in a disaster area declared by the president in 2022. Eligible municipalities are available online at Disasters & Other Statements | FEMA.gov.

For additional information in Puerto Rico, you can call (787) 766-5095, (787) 766-5093 and (787) 766-5735 or send an email to SM.PUERTORICORD@usda.gov 

Additional resources to support rural communities seeking disaster assistance are available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/page/rural-development-disaster-assistance. 

USDA is the perfect partner because it provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunity and create jobs in rural areas.  This assistance supports infrastructure improvements, business development, housing, community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care, and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/pr.

If you'd like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscribers page. You can follow us on our Twitter account @RD_PuertoRico.

 

                      USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.