WASHINGTON, March 23, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary Torres Small today announced the availability of grants to help people repair their homes that were damaged by flooding and Hurricane Fiona in 2022.
The homes must be located in presidentially declared disaster areas. People living in more than 50 counties in Puerto Rico are eligible for the funding.
“People living in Puerto Rico are often on the front lines of extreme weather, and when storms strike, people deserve an opportunity to build back the places they call home,” Under Secretary Torres Small said. “That’s why the Biden-Harris Administration is making sure rural people who were impacted by severe storms in 2022 have the resources they need to rebuild their homes and their lives. I’m proud to announce that the funds USDA is making available today help do just that.”
The grants are being made available through supplemental disaster funding under the Rural Disaster Home Repair Grant Program. Through this program, people may apply to receive grants of up to $40,675 directly from USDA to repair their homes.
Funds will be available until expended. They may be used to:
- pay for home repair expenses that were a result of a Presidentially declared disasters in calendar year 2022.
- prepare a site for a manufactured home.
- relocate a manufactured home.
To be eligible:
- applicants must have household incomes that do not exceed the low-limits based on their household size and county.
- homes must be located in an eligible rural area.
- homes must be located in a Presidentially declared disaster areas 2022.
Residents in the following counties may be eligible for the funding:
Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Añasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Barranquitas, Bayamón, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canóvanas, Carolina, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guánica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao, Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marías, Las Piedras, Loíza, Luquillo, Manatí, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayagüez , Moca, Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Peñuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rincón, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, San Lorenzo, San Sebastián, Santa Isabel, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa and Yauco.
For more information on how to apply visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/pr.
Background
The Biden-Harris Administration championed the bill known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, that made this funding possible.
In the coming weeks and months, USDA expects to announce additional funding availability under the bill to help rural people in presidentially declared disaster areas who were impacted by natural disasters in 2022.
This additional funding will assist eligible organizations help rural people repair and improve their homes. It will also help rural communities repair water infrastructure and essential community facilities.
Additional resources to support rural communities seeking disaster assistance are available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/page/rural-development-disaster-assistance.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans 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, Tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, promoting competition and fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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