ORLANDO, Fla. — While some Puerto Rican families are still living in hotels, others have already found a more permanent home after being displaced by Hurricane Maria.
And they haven’t had to do it alone.
- Displaced Puerto Rican couple finds permanent housing
- Many families struggle w/ upfront rent costs, says United Way
- United Way helping Puerto Rican families w/ the costs
Luis Enrique Corraliza and his wife Patricia are finally relieved to have a place to call home. Their small two-bedroom apartment in the outskirts of Orlando is exactly what they need to start over. The apartment is chilly and empty, with only and inflatable bed in the master bedroom.
“This is where we want the couch to go, and the TV on that wall,” said Corraliza as he gave Spectrum News a tour.
He first arrived to Orlando in October 2017, sleeping in the airport the first night he came from Puerto Rico.
“We lost everything — our house, our things,” he recalled.
His wife, Patricia held his hand while Luis Enrique shared everything he’d gone through in the past couple of months.
“I needed a lot of help, I needed a job, I wanted to start working right away,” said Corraliza.
Both of them found a job while still living in a hotel. They drive together to work on and wait for each other to finish their shift, as there’s only one car.
Their latest accomplishment is moving out of a hotel room into their own apartment, partially thanks to United Way, who’s helped the couple since they first moved to Florida.
Most recently, United Way helped them with the upfront costs in renting an apartment in Orlando.
"We identified that a lot of the families have been able to get jobs, but it's hard. In Puerto Rico we don't necessarily have that initial deposit first and last month’s rent, so it gets to be a lot,” said Delitza Fernandez, Project Coordinator for United Way.
Fernandez said they’ve already helped around 10 families, and for some, the initial cost just to rent an apartment would be from $2,500-$3,000.
For a family who’s starting over, saving that much money can be a big challenge.
Fernandez explained families must meet a certain criteria to qualify for this type of financial assistance to move. They must prove they have a steady income and already identified the apartment they want to rent.
The couple work pretty close to each other. It’s the true example of perseverance and ambition.
“We came here to start over, to build a new life,” Corraliza said.
You can find out more information about what United Way does by visiting its website: www.hfuw.org