Activating DHAP would put Puerto Ricans on a viable path to recovery — one that ends with them in permanent housing funded by their own means. This is not a permanent program, but temporary assistance for those who have no other option. DHAP would place families in homes allowing them to focus on finding jobs, creating stable lives, and becoming productive members of society as they settle into their new reality. Nonetheless, calls to implement such an initiative have been ignored. As a result, legislators have boldly stepped forward to change the narrative.

Legislation filed in the US House of Representatives would force the implementation of a DHAP program within 15 days of becoming law. This need not be a partisan issue; rather, it is an American issue. This is about getting families out of hotels and into somewhere they can comfortably call home. Whatever cost we may incur from such a program will pale in comparison to the inevitable costs associated with the array of consequences that arise from homelessness as these families leave their hotels. The treatment of the people of Puerto Rico thus far has been unacceptable. It is time we stand up as a nation to make a much needed change.

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