What to Know
- FEMA granted Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello’s request Friday to extend the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program
- The extension will impact nearly 1,700 Hurricane Maria survivors whose benefits were scheduled to end in May
- The TSA program is one of several short-term sheltering assistance programs for eligible disaster survivors
FEMA granted Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello’s request Friday to extend the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program for nearly 1,700 Hurricane Maria survivors whose benefits were scheduled to end.
The TSA program is one of several short-term sheltering assistance programs for eligible disaster survivors. The program allows survivors who are unable to return to their damaged homes to get shelter in a hotel or motel, while waiting for longer-term housing solutions.
On Feb. 28 Rossello asked for and received an extension of the TA program with additional eligibility requirements through May 14, in addition to a review on April 20 based on the island’s requested criteria. On Wednesday, Rossello once again requested that FEMA grant a new blanket extension of the program.
Based on Puerto Rico’s established eligibility criteria, nearly 1,700 of the 2,800 survivors that checked into participating-TSA hotel rooms would no longer be eligible to continue in the program. Those survivors began receiving their notifications early this week, FEMA and Puerto Rico’s governor’s office says. But, the new extension allows them to stay through May 14.
Since the program became available to Puerto Rico survivors, more than 10,000 families have participated in 40 different states at a cost of more than $64 million, FEMA and the Office of the Governor of Puerto Rico said in a joint statement.
Local
Survivors wanting to appeal any TSA eligibility criteria should contact FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) with supporting documentation.
