Allocation: $210,581,705
Program that addresses housing needs in the municipalities of Guánica, Guayanilla, Lajas, Peñuelas, Ponce and Yauco due to the damage from the 2019-2020 earthquakes.
The application process was available from October 17, 2023 to February 16, 2024.
RESURGE PROGRAM
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved a special allocation to the CDBG-DR recovery funds for the purpose of long-term disaster recovery from the 2019-2020 earthquakes (DR-4473-PR).
The Puerto Rico Department of Housing (DV) will be the state administrator of these funds, and as a federal requirement, an Action Plan was developed to address the needs of these municipalities. The Southern Consortium for the Management and Administration of Federal Funds for Earthquake Damages (ConSur) will be the administrator of the Program in direct coordination with the mayors of the municipalities that will receive the assistance.
The ReSURge Program provides assistance to repair or rebuild properties that have been substantially damaged by earthquakes. Those cases where reconstruction is not feasible, as stipulated in the Program Guidelines, may benefit from relocation.
GUIDELINES
Virtual Tour of a House
INFORMATIVE MATERIAL
Who can benefit from these CDBG-DR funds from the ReSURge Program?
Property owners in the municipalities of Guánica, Guayanilla, Lajas, Peñuelas, Ponce and Yauco that were substantially affected by the 2019-2020 earthquakes. They must meet the low and moderate income parameters, and any eligibility requirements, as stipulated in the guidelines.
The Program Guide establishes the following Priority Groups:
- Persons whose property has significant damage
- Persons 65 years of age or older
- Persons with disabilities
- All low to moderate income.
THESE GROUPS ARE CATEGORIZED AND WILL BE ADDRESSED IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER:
Applications that meet an applicant’s age, disability and significant property damage. All three (3) conditions must be met for the Application to be considered under this Priority Group.
Applications that meet either (a) an elderly applicant and their property has significant damage; or (b) an applicant with disabilities and their property has significant damage, as defined in the Priority Periods section of the Program Guidelines. If either of the two (2) conditions are met, the Application will be considered under this Priority Group.
Applications that only meet the definition of significant property damage as established in the Priority Periods section of the Program Guidelines. If this condition is met, the Application will be considered under this Priority Group.
Relocation and Reconstruction Overview
- Relocation: Homes located in a one hundred (100) year floodplain or high hazard area (as identified in the environmental review), whose estimated cost of repair exceeds $60,000 or 50% of the current appraised value of the home, whichever is less, will qualify for relocation.The applicant may receive an offer to voluntarily purchase the affected property, along with a Relocation Voucher for the purchase of an existing replacement dwelling. If a suitable replacement option cannot be identified, eligible applicants may receive assistance for the construction of a Program-designed home on a new lot only as a last option.
- Reconstruction: If elevated reconstruction in a floodplain is deemed reasonable, the applicant will have two award options: relocation or elevated reconstruction. Homes located in a one-hundred (100) year floodplain are eligible for elevated reconstruction if:
- the estimated cost of repair is greater than $60,000 or 50% of the current appraised value of the home, whichever is less;
- the applicant has rejected a relocation award; and
- the model home will require less than 5 feet of elevation as a construction measure, in which case, elevated reconstruction is considered reasonable.
To facilitate a successful process, the applicant will receive relocation support and a homeowner education course administered by a HUD-certified housing counselor in the Housing Counseling Program. The housing counseling services will be free of charge to the applicant and will be intended to provide the tools and knowledge to make informed decisions regarding their relocation.
Once a property has been approved as a suitable replacement, the Program will conduct a closing event with the applicant and seller to effectuate: 1) the transfer of title of the earthquake-affected property to Housing; and 2) purchase of the replacement property or vacant lot for the applicant.
PROGRAM PROCESS
Program Intake
During the application period, the interested parties had four application methods:
• Online at cdbg-dr.pr.gov/r3
• Through the Puerto Rico CDBG-DR mobile application (available for download at Google Play Store)
• Visiting a Center of the R-3 Program, and
• By calling 1-833-234-2324 to make an appointment
The submitted applications were assigned to a case manager based on the location of the damaged property.
Documentation was required to prove the identity and citizenship of all applicants and household members.
Review of Admission Documents
• At the Review of Admission documents, the case managers will confirm that all required documents were provided by the applicants.
• These documents allow the Program to establish eligibility.
• Applicants, who do not submit all required documents for the eligibility determination, will receive a Required Documents Notification.
• With the required documents, case managers can prioritize seniors citizens, people with disabilities, and applicants with significant property damage.
Eligibility Review
As part of the Eligibility Review, the case managers will review all documents to determine if applicants met the eligibility criteria.
The eligibility review includes:
• Income review
• Duplication of Benefits Review (DOB)
• Ownership Review
• Evidence of single-family structure
• Evidence of primary residence
• Evidence of ownership of the hurricane-Impacted property at the moment of the hurricanes Irma and/or Maria
• Evidence of flood cover, if applicable
For details click here.
Applicants who are found eligible will receive an Eligibility Determination Notification.
For those applicants found to be ineligible, an Ineligibility Determination Notification will be issued.
Homeowner applicants who submit non-traditional ownership documentation will be referred to the Title Authorization Program.
Initial Assessment of Property
Following the determination of eligibility, the Program will assign a damage assessor, an environmental inspector, and an appraiser to the case.
Damage Assessors will be responsible for scheduling the date and time with applicants, environmental inspectors, and appraisers, so that all three inspections occur at the same time.
• Damage Assessment: It will determine the amount of damage to property affected by the hurricanes and the estimated cost of the repairs required
• Environmental Review: Environmental inspectors will determine whether a project and its potential environmental impacts meet federal, state, and local environmental standards.
• Appraisal: Appraisers will determine the current market value of the property affected by the hurricanes. Your report will be used in conjunction with the Damage Assessment to determine what type of assistance applicants are eligible for.
Award Coordination
• After the amount to be awarded is determined, case managers will contact applicants, and in addition, a notification with the corresponding award will be issued to the applicant.
• When a repair or reconstruction is awarded, a construction manager will be assigned.
• Construction managers will visit the site where the damage occurred. The final scope of the works will be provided to the Program administrator.
• Applicants will sign all required program agreements and prepare to vacate the hurricane-affected property to begin construction.
• Applicants who receive relocation awards will be required to participate in the Housing Counseling Program.
Design Process and Permits
After determining the type of final work and after the applicant has signed all required Program agreements, the Construction Manager -along with his designer will begin the design and permitting process. All construction documents must be sent to OGPe for review and approval.
Repair or Reconstruction
• The Contractor will get all required OGPe permits.
• The Contractor will complete the repair or reconstruction work in milestone phases.
• Milestone inspections shall be made at the end of each construction phase to ensure that the work is completed in accordance with the agreed scope of work and the requirements of the applicable local codes.
• The Contractor will remedy any deficiencies identified during stage inspections before it can move on to the next stage of construction.
• No progress payment shall be issued to Construction Managers without the proper execution, to the Program’s satisfaction, of a milestone inspection.
Homeowner’s Move
Once all demolition, repair, reconstruction or new construction work has been successfully completed, and the homeowner accepts the work, the applicant may move into the new house.
Administrative Closure
Once all the work has been successfully completed and all documents related to the application are duly archived, the administrative closure of the application will be completed.
DOCUMENTS NEEDED:
Only one document is required per category, except if stated otherwise.
- Government-issued photo ID (federal or stateside)
- Driver’s license
- Passport
- Military Identification
- Certificate of Naturalization or Permanent Residence Card
- Birth Certificate
- House Deed (“Escritura Pública”);
- Certification of the Puerto Rico Property Registry (“Certificación Registral”); or
- Declaration of Heirship (“Declaratoria de Herederos”)
- May include Instance inscription of heirs (“Instancia”)
- Title Certification (“Certificación de Título del Departamento de la Vivienda”)
- Court Judgment (“Sentencia o Resolución de un tribunal”)
- 3 most recent payment stubs
- Social Security letter of benefits
- Letter in relation to Retirement Pension/Annuity
- Federal Income Tax Return on Self-Employment (1040PR), 1040 or 1040A, W-2 Form and/or Profit and Loss Declaration
- Rent Income from Lease Agreement(s)
- Unemployment Benefits
- Food Allowance/Alimony from ex-spouse
- Income from Interest payments and/or Dividends
- Retirement/Social Security: Three (3) monthly bank statements (social security and pension benefits only), or Current Social Security benefit letter (including benefits paid to minors), or Current pension/retirement benefit letter (if applicable) or prior year 1099 form, or Current annuity payment letter (if applicable) or prior year 1099 form;
- No Income: Adult household members who do not receive income must submit a certification of unearned income. These household members typically include those who are unemployed.
- Applicable Federal Income Tax Return for the year of the disaster
- Income Tax Return for the applicable disaster year
- FEMA Disaster Relief Approval Letter
- SBA Disaster Loan Letter
- Basic utility bills
- Bank statement or credit card statement
- Driver’s license or state-issued identification
- Documentation of tax-exempt status of the property
- Insurance documentation indicating primary residence, such as homeowner’s endorsement
- Employer documents, including pay stubs and similar employment documents
Complete a Certification of Ownership accompanied by alternate documents. Documents that will be considered as evidence of ownership interest include, but are not limited to the following documents:
- Will authenticated by the Court or will accompanied by Certification of Probate;
- Evidence of having inherited;
- Declaration of heirs;
- Court Order or Judgment granting title or any proprietary interest in the property;
- Divorce Judgment granting title or proprietary interest in the property;
- Private Sales Contract: if the applicant acquired the property through a private sale by owner, the contract must be confirmed as satisfied with complementary documents;
- Evidence of usufruct contract;
- Evidence of lease agreement for 99 years;
- Evidence of “use permit” and/or “building permit” in accordance with applicable laws and regulations;
- Death certificate of the owner or birth certificate (to evidence that the applicant is a descendant of the owner).
Marriage certificate; - If the affected homeowner died after the date of the applicable disaster, the heir(s) may meet the ownership requirements provided they can provide evidence of their inheritance or Declaration of Heirs and a Death Certificate of the deceased homeowner.
- Correspondence from FEMA to the applicant showing that the applicant applied for and received FEMA Individual Assistance for property damage;
- Mortgage payment book or other mortgage documents;
- Property insurance showing the address of the damaged property;Statement of account issued by the Municipal Revenue Collection Center (CRIM);
- and/or Any other documentation will be considered and reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- Insurance Policy Number (Owner’s or Property)
- Flood Insurance Policy Number
- Information of other insurance policies (if applicable)
YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO THIS PROGRAM EVEN IF YOU HAVE BEEN DENIED
BY FEMA OR OTHER SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE.
- Owner-occupied single-family homes that were affected by the 2019-2020 earthquakes in the municipalities under the Action Plan: Guánica, Guayanilla, Lajas, Peñuelas, Ponce and Yauco.
- Duplexes;
- Manufactured Housing Units (MHU);
- Detached, stand-alone, stick-built or concrete residential structures;
- Attached units.
- Homeowners (or those who believe they have homeownership rights) who meet HUD’s Low to Moderate income guidelines and who owned or occupied the unit as a primary residence at the time of the 2019-2020 earthquakes in the municipalities of Guánica, Guayanilla, Lajas, Peñuelas, Ponce and Yauco.
RESURGE PROGRAM INTAKE CENTERS
Guánica, PR
Municipio de Guánica
(Kioskos Turísticos Artesanales)
Carr. 333, Km 0.3
Guánica, Puerto Rico 00653
Telephone: 939-344-4248 / 787-821-2777
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Guayanilla, PR
Oficina de Programas Federales
Calle Luis Muñoz Rivera #182A
Guayanilla, Puerto Rico 00656
Telephone: 787-835-2660 Ext. 1410
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Lajas, PR
Oficina de Ayuda al Ciudadano
(Escuela Arturo Grand Pardo)
Calle San Blas #37
Lajas, Puerto Rico 00667
Telephone: 787-899-1450 Ext. 1111
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Peñuelas, PR
Casa Alcaldía de Peñuelas
Oficina de Secretaría Municipal
Calle Pedro Velázquez Díaz #383
Peñuelas, Puerto Rico 00624
Telephone: 787-836-1136 Ext. 333
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Ponce, PR
Secretaría de Vivienda y
Desarrollo Socioeconómico
2105 PR163 Centro Comercial Plazoleta Las Américas – Ave. Las Américas,
Ponce, Puerto Rico 00717
Telephone: 787-840–9200 Ext. 5311
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Yauco, PR
Oficina de Programas Federales
Calle 65 de Infantería #12,
Yauco, Puerto Rico 00698
Telephone: 939-310-8732
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
How to apply to the ReSURge Program?
Applicants who own a single-family home affected by the 2019-2020 earthquakes in one of the six municipalities covered by the allocation may apply:
Contacting us at:
Application787-665-7909
Information 787-844-2072
Visiting a Program Intake Center in one of the 6 municipalities
*Funds for this allocation are limited. Cases will be handled according to the Program Guidelines and its Priority Groups. Application is subject to meeting eligibility requirements and all Program requirements.
