It’s an understatement to simply say that the United States government has failed Puerto Ricans in the wake of Hurricane Maria. This not only includes the millions of residents who remain on the island but also those who left, forced to flee the widespread devastation caused by the storm. Many of those Puerto Ricans ended up in hotels across various states on the mainland, paid for by FEMA’s Temporary Sheltering Assistance (TSA) Program. Yet FEMA has been trying to end the program for several months now—which would essentially displace families and result in many becoming homeless. However, on Saturday night, a federal judge temporarily blocked the government from ending the program after a lawsuit by a civil rights group.
The organization, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, sought a restraining order to stop the government from evicting these families from their hotels. This has given relief to approximately 1,744 people across the country and allows them to stay in their hotels until at least check-out time on Wednesday. As a result, FEMA claims to be working with hotels to extend the program through Thursday.
This is a bigger problem than just the ability of Puerto Rican families to stay in hotels. FEMA has been incredibly slow in processing the myriad of claims on the island and has been denying others—preventing many people from returning to their homes. Additionally, because of the incredibly high cost of living in many cities across the country, individuals and families face barriers in terms of accessing affordable housing, even after finding employment. In many places like New York City, for example, once a family leaves the hotel paid for by FEMA, they will have to go into city shelters for the homeless. Let’s acknowledge that this is certainly not an ideal situation to put kids in.
Likewise, it’s important to consider the societal implications here. America has a real problem when waiting lists for low-income housing are between eight and 12 months and we are essentially content with letting people sleep on the streets, and can’t find housing for the victims of natural disasters.
Some families are also choosing not to go back to Puerto Rico at all, even though FEMA is offering to cover airfare, luggage, and pet fees for their return. This is because they believe they are better off on the mainland, especially after enduring a financial crisis that has gripped the island for decades and long-standing government corruption and mismanagement. This is particularly true for parents and family members who are caring for relatives with disabilities who need social services and medical attention that they are unable to get on the island. So they plan to wait it out and stay on the mainland, hoping for support and help that is likely to never come.
All of this is a glaring example of how our country isn’t doing right by Puerto Ricans or Americans in general. In one of the wealthiest nations in the world, hurricane survivors can’t find housing and are being prevented from going back home because the federal government is too slow, too bureaucratic, and they have no chance for success—even when they get jobs to support themselves.
And in a nation that already has an unacceptable and ridiculous amount of homeless people, our lack of response and concern about this crisis is just going to make leave more people to fend for themselves on the streets. As Democratic Florida State Sen. Victor Torres said: "These families are going to end up in the streets, living in their cars if we don't do something [...] Many of these people are elderly, people with disabilities. What they need is help."