On March 4, One Stop Career Center of Puerto Rico began the rehabilitation of eight residences in the Playa community, in Salinas, affected by hurricanes Irma and María thanks to a philanthropic investment of $ 140,000 from Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico(FCPR). Most of the residences to benefit are made of wood and concrete, which have roof leakage problems, as well as electrical and plumbing problems. Some of the houses have walls without finished and need repairs of windows, doors, and painting.

“We are very excited about the opportunity we have to rehabilitate these residences, which belong to families that do not have the economic resources and were still waiting for assistance to rehabilitate or rebuild their homes, affected by the atmospheric phenomena of September 2017,” said Carmen Cosme, executive director of One Stop Career Center of Puerto Rico.

The average cost for the rehabilitation of each home is $ 15,000 and the supervision will be in charge of the architect Diana Ortiz, contractor of One Stop Career Center of Puerto Rico in this project. The non-profit organization has been providing housing rehabilitation services in the Ponce, Villalba and Coamo area with funds granted by the FCPR. In total, One Stop Career Center of Puerto Rico has rehabilitated 29 in those towns.

These eight residences join the 64 that were rehabilitated by four Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs), including One Stop Career Center of Puerto Rico, after an investment of $ 1.3 million from the FCPR, as part of a housing access strategy to families with homes affected by the hurricanes. “Throughout its 35-year history, the FCPR has been committed to equitable access to housing, and this commitment was reinforced after the damages of both hurricanes, thanks to donors, mostly community and private foundations in the United States. With this project we promote equity, social justice and community prosperity, by strengthening the physical capital of these families in this community”, said the president of the FCPR, Dr. Nelson I. Colón Tarrats.

One Stop Career Center of Puerto Rico will supervise and inspect the project so that it complies with the construction standards established by the Puerto Rico Building codes; It will verify the ownership or the right of occupation of the dwellings; will ensure required permits and certifications; and will guide families so that they can access CDBG-DR funds from the R3 Program of the Puerto Rico Department of Housing.