Comunicados de Prensa

(San Juan, Puerto Rico) - Governor Jenniffer González Colón announced that the Secretary of the Department of Housing, Ciary Pérez Peña, signed two sub-recipient agreements this Tuesday, representing a multi-million dollar allocation for the municipalities of Arecibo and Culebra. Under the Solid Waste Management Initiative, part of the recovery and mitigation efforts through Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds, the Solid Waste Management Initiative is part of the recovery and mitigation efforts.

"This initiative aims to support municipalities in closure, mitigation, expansion, and material collection through the allocation of CDBG-MIT funds. Our goal is to strengthen solid waste management infrastructure in compliance with current environmental and operational requirements, thus promoting more resilient and sustainable communities in Puerto Rico," said the Governor.

For her part, Secretary Pérez Peña indicated that, in the case of Arecibo, the agreement is for a total of $38,707,850.00. Meanwhile, the municipality of Culebra will receive $17,050,000.00. These funds are allocated for municipal landfill optimization projects.

"In the Municipality of Arecibo, the lateral mitigation of the Sanitary Landfill is proposed, which will occupy an area of ​​approximately ten (10) acres. This action includes the stabilization of the slopes of the existing cell, the installation of a leachate collection system, a stormwater management system, the placement of intermediate covers, and the installation of subsoil monitoring wells," the official explained.

Regarding the Culebra landfill, the Secretary explained that the project includes the optimization of sanitary landfill facilities through the implementation of liner systems, leachate and gas collection systems, stormwater management, the acquisition of specialized equipment, and the promotion of recycling, composting, and greenhouse gas capture programs.

The Secretary of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, Waldemar Quiles Pérez, added that “The viability of the sanitary landfill systems in Arecibo and Culebra is of great importance to the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Therefore, we expedited the process of allocating funds to support the municipalities' efforts to complete projects within these landfills. We appreciate the Governor's leadership in this vital matter for Puerto Rico.”

In addition to the agreements with Arecibo and Culebra, similar agreements have been signed with the municipalities of Vieques and Barranquitas since January.

Hundreds of people are applying for assistance through the Youth Housing Program.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Housing Finance Authority (AFV), Ricardo Álvarez Barreto, reported that more than a thousand people have requested assistance with the Youth Housing Program.

“In just 24 hours, nearly 900 people have called requesting guidance, more than 150 have contacted us via email, and we have received approximately 200 messages through social media. This demonstrates that the Youth Housing Program has arrived to address a real need among our young workers,” the official explained.

Álvarez Barreto explained that Youth Housing serves the population between 21 and 35 years of age, who have graduated within the last five years and who have a salary of no more than $200,000. For more information, please call (939) 333-5417 or visit social media @AFVPRONline.

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