$40 million requested for San Juan port upgrades 

Last week, the Puerto Rican Port Authority (APPR) made a joint request with private sector partners for $40.8 million from the US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) to upgrade and modernize the San Juan Port. The funding would cover four projects. Two of the projects are micro-grid power systems, continuing the trend of building new electrical infrastructure across the Island with federal funds to ensure resiliency in the event of natural disasters. The additional projects are repair work in the Puerto Nuevo Terminal and repairs at the Isla Grande terminal

American University of Puerto Rico to close

The American University of Puerto Rico (AUPR) has announced that it will close at the end of the year. Officials of the college, which has campuses in Bayamón and Manatí, said in a statement that the decision was necessitated by Puerto Rico’s slow economic recovery since Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit in 2017. Since then, enrollment has dropped precipitously, and the economy has failed to rebound sufficiently to keep operations going. AUPR tried to keep its doors open through a merger with another institution, but those talks collapsed. As of fall 2021, enrollment was just 550 students on its two campuses.

HUD allocates $2 million for affordable housing in Puerto Rico 

The United States Department of Housing announced last week that it will provide $2 million to Puerto Rico via the Housing Trust Fund. The Trust Fund is a housing production program that supports federal, state, and local efforts to increase and preserve housing options for low- and extremely low-income households, including the homeless. These funds can be used for several purposes including property purchases, site improvements, financing, relocation assistance, and rental assistance.