Displaced Puerto Ricans called on Orange County commissioners Tuesday to help them get long-term housing.
- Displaced Puerto Ricans seek help with long-term housing
- Families spoke to Orange County commissioners Tuesday
- Many say housing options are not affordable
At this point, families are pleading for help and more time until they can figure out how to afford the housing that's currently available.
One by one, families spoke in front of Orange County commissioners saying they're really trying to find a home, but either the waitlist for low-income housing is too long or they're asking for a lot of money up front in deposits that they say they simply can't afford with the jobs they're working.
“I lost everything in Puerto Rico,” said David Olmeda, who lives in a hotel in Kissimmee. “I now work in a home improvement store and my wife in housekeeping. But the money is not enough with everything they ask for.”
On top of that, some are having to pay fees to get the documents needed when applying.
"What we're looking for is to have a centralized location where a landlord can call, and find out if that person, what they're background is and what the credit is, so that is not hurting their credit, and they're able to use that money to pay for their rent as opposed to keep losing money applying," said Ericka Gomez-Tejeda from Vamos4PR.
The families came out of the meeting on a high note.
They were told the commissioners will be writing a formal letter in support of the Governor of Puerto Rico's request to extend the TSA assistance until June 30.