STATEMENT FROM STATE SENATOR GUSTAVO RIVERA ON FEMA’S TEMPORARY SHELTER FOR PUERTO RICAN EVACUEES

(Bronx, NY) – While it is encouraging that the families displaced by Hurricane Maria are able to stay at their hotels for the time being, it is not the long term solution we need. Families are getting on their feet, gaining employment, and looking for housing. They are enrolling their children into our public schools and are receiving adequate medical care. They should not have to worry about the possibility of losing the roof over the heads while they rebuild their lives. FEMA should use this extension to formulate a plan that will help each of these families transition into permanent housing. Their responsibility to these families is not done simply because they implemented an unrealistic deadline to their transitional program.