Puerto Rico Senate Advances Bill 1608 on Homelessness and Affordable Housing

The Senate of Puerto Rico has proposed a package of legislation aimed at speeding the recovery of public nuisances, making first homes more accessible, and addressing homelessness on the island in an integrated way. The effort followed a “Multisectoral Meeting for Affordable Housing,” convened by Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz and Jamie Barlucea Rodríguez, chair of the Committee on Housing and Social Welfare. Government, community, and private-sector leaders attended to propose solutions to the country’s housing shortage.

Among the main measures discussed are pre-approved plans for construction projects, simplified inheritance partition procedures, and streamlined municipal processes to declare and recover public nuisances. Lawmakers also examined bills to formally integrate the Office for Socioeconomic and Community Development (ODSEC) into the Multisectoral Council in Support of the Homeless Population.

Rivera Schatz said the proposals seek to address specific obstacles that keep homes out of reach for families or prevent a property from being used again. He insisted that the legislative process must produce agile results and not remain a matter of administrative procedure.

Barlucea Rodríguez announced the filing of Senate Bill 1608, which seeks to create the Law of the Integrated System for the Prevention, Care, and Overcoming of Homelessness. The measure aims to establish unified protocols among agencies, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations, and to strengthen the Bill of Rights of this population. It joins Law 98-2025, already approved, which exempts homeless persons from paying essential certification fees, as well as a portfolio of projects that includes specialized courtrooms for inheritance matters and incentives for first-time homebuyers. The fee exemption protects residents with few resources from a cost they could not easily bear (Proverbs 31:8-9).

Miguel Hernández Vivoni, executive director of the Multisectoral Council in Support of the Homeless Population, said the most recent counts identify 1,945 homeless persons in Puerto Rico, along with 204 documented cases among young people. He said these figures confirm the urgency of diversifying care strategies.

Secretary of Housing Luis Augusto Martínez Román said the magnitude of the crisis requires a coordinated approach. “The challenge of affordable housing is complex,” he said. “It requires recovering inventory, producing and facilitating access to the purchase and rental of homes, and serving the populations that need additional services and support.”

The day concluded with working groups focused on four priority areas: management of public nuisances, reduction of construction costs, facilitation of credit and rental history for young workers, and expansion of adapted housing for older adults, survivors of gender-based violence, and other vulnerable populations.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)