2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SEVENTEEN - Housing (§§ 1 — 1546) › Chapter 35 - Puerto Rico Public Housing Administration (§§ 1001 — 1014) › § 1002 - Creation and purposes

A government agency of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to be known as the Public Housing Administration is hereby created, attached to the Department of Housing, which shall have the purpose and function of achieving a highly efficient administration of public residential projects with the necessary flexibility for the implementation of the public policy to improve the quality of life in public residential projects, encourage community activity, and the integral development of Puerto Ricans who live in said housing projects. To those effects, it shall have the responsibility of making decisions and executing the programs, systems, methods and procedures to:
(a) Plan, organize, direct and coordinate all ordinary and extraordinary administrative activities of maintenance, cleaning, beautification, refurbishing and general improvement of public housing projects; service of debts incurred for development; efforts for collecting, leasing or rental fees, and rental of public housing.
(b) Adopt simple and speedy methods and procedures to attend to the claims for services of those who live in public housings, in an effective, fast and timely manner, and to encourage greater diligence in rendering such services.
(c) Stimulate and achieve a real and effective participation of residents in the administration, improvement, refurbishing and beautification of their own residential surroundings, through educational programs or community work.
(d) Design and carry out, on its own or in coordination with other public agencies or private entities, such programs or activities that will teach basic skills to residents of public housing projects in order to enable them to perform simple repair and maintenance jobs on their own housing units.
(e) Develop the residents’ attitudes and initiatives to enrich their own lives, through diverse activities which will provide different experiences in education, recreation and work.
(f) Succeed in making residents of public housings keep up their dwellings and common areas in good condition and to have them progressively assume the responsibility of doing small tasks and duties for the maintenance, cleaning, beautification and minor repairs comparable to those assumed by the boards of owners of private housing projects.
(g) Modify the practices and procedures of those programs and services integrated under its administration, in order to expedite its operations and propitiate the attainment of the objectives of this chapter.
(h) Expedite the decision-making process and the determination of actions concerning beautification, maintenance, improvements and refurbishing of public housings, to make them safe, attractive and adequate.
(i) Negotiate and coordinate with government agencies and municipalities to render essential services such as health, recreation, education and social services, to residents in the public housing itself, to make such services more accessible as well as to enable them to be rendered in an integrated, effective and immediate manner.
History —Aug. 17, 1989, No. 66, p. 282, § 3.