Public‑housing agency reports 54,102 units managed, recovery projects and security operations to House Finance Committee

Juan Rosario Hernández, executive director of the Administración de Vivienda Pública (ABP), told the House Finance Committee on April 16 that ABP administers 54,102 housing units in 328 public‑housing complexes and manages roughly 12,854 Section 8 vouchers. He said ABP’s capital assets total about $1,113 million.

Hernández reported that the authority has 42 projects in design, preconstruction or construction and plans to publish 27 projects for roofing and painting with an expected investment cited in the presentation. He described ongoing recovery work tied to Hurricane María funds administered under CDBG‑DR and said the authority has completed 10 projects to date and is preparing dozens more for procurement and execution.

Security and occupancy: Hernández said ABP’s security operations have recovered 215 units that were being unlawfully occupied, and that recent operatives yielded 52 weapons seized, "15,000 piezas de evidencia de droga" and 89 arrests. He said the administration is expanding monitoring and contract enforcement of private property managers: the agency has started issuing notices of default and has contracted a 10‑person monitoring unit to oversee procurement and fiscal controls.

Section 8 and resident services: the director noted the authority achieved "high performance" status for the Section 8 program, cited cleanup of long pending waiting lists and said ABP will publish an ARP‑funded resident services program estimated at $20 million to support tutoring, job connection, arts and other community programs.

Committee members asked for project‑level schedules and district status for pending contracts; legislators requested that ABP deliver specific project lists and timelines within five days so the commission can track obligations tied to federal deadlines.

What’s next: ABP committed to send detailed lists and to continue on‑island monitoring alongside municipal and federal partners to maximize disbursement before program expirations.