Press Contact: media@hispanicfederation.org
The $280,000 partnership will equip 10 community-led resilience hubs with water storage, backup power, and kitchen infrastructure to better prepare and respond to the ongoing water crisis, hurricanes, and future emergencies
SAN JUAN, PR – The recent extreme drought and water infrastructure crisis in Puerto Rico, compounded by the threat of hurricane season, reaffirmed the urgent need to support local community efforts to prepare for natural disasters and other emergencies. Today, Hispanic Federation (HF) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY) announced a new partnership with an initial commitment of $280,000 to strengthen the infrastructure of community-led resilience hubs across Puerto Rico. In the first year, this partnership will impact at least 10 communities.
Since 2017, Hispanic Federation has invested more than $61 million in philanthropic funding for community-led sustainable development and disaster relief and resilience efforts across Puerto Rico. This latest effort builds on those successful strategies developed in partnership with local community leaders and organizations to strengthen disaster preparedness and response capacity. One key strategy has been establishing and supporting community resilience hubs equipped with solar energy and battery systems, cisterns, rainwater catchment systems, kitchen facilities, and other essential equipment to ensure communities have a trusted place to come together to prepare, share resources, and access basic water, energy and food needs during an emergency. This past summer, many of these hubs activated in response to the water crisis. The water challenges uncovered a need to increase resilience and close equipment gaps, which led HF and FHLBNY to partner in response.
“Puerto Rico’s families have lived through more disasters than anyone should have to, most recently a water shortage crisis and constant power outages. Through every emergency, we have witnessed neighbors supporting neighbors and communities that refuse to leave anyone behind. These community-led resilience hubs have been an essential part of that response. The lesson is clear. When organized communities have the resources they need to prepare, respond, and recover from disasters quickly, people are safer and lives are saved. Through this partnership, we want to ensure communities have the tools and equipment necessary to stay safe and keep their doors open when the next disaster strikes. We are deeply grateful to the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York for always saying presente to stand with Hispanic Federation and Puerto Rico. Together, with our local partners, we are making sure that when the next storm comes, our communities will be ready,” said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation.
HF’s support extends beyond infrastructure and equipment. Each year they supply community hubs in their network with a stock of emergency food supplies in advance of hurricane season. This year they supported 33 hubs across Puerto Rico. HF has also led major agriculture, energy, economic, and climate justice initiatives.
Now, with $210,000 from FHLBNY and an additional $70,000 raised by HF, this partnership will ensure 10 community hubs receive increased water storage capacity in case of future outages; some will also receive solar power with battery storage, rainwater catchment systems, backup generators, and kitchen equipment. HF will work with trusted nonprofit community partners to determine the specific needs, capacity, and install the equipment for each hub.
FHLBNY also shares a long-standing commitment to Puerto Rico. They currently have more than $1.5 billion in funds flowing across Puerto Rico through member liquidity support, community lending programs, small business grants, affordable housing programs, homebuyer support, and charitable contributions. This partnership with Hispanic Federation is further evidence of their goal to strengthen community resilience.
“Whether through our reliable liquidity products, dependable community programs or targeted grant activity, the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York takes great pride in our role as a proven partner for Puerto Rico,” said Alexies Sornoza, Senior Business Development Officer of the FHLBNY. “It is through our own local partnerships that we make our impact in Puerto Rico, joining with members, community organizations and elected officials to ensure we are always positioned to make a difference. In Hispanic Federation, we have a tremendous partner that is truly committed to empowering the community, and we are honored to be part of their efforts to create a stronger, more resilient Puerto Rico.”
New York is home to one of the largest Puerto Rican communities outside the archipelago, and the bond between the two runs deep. While in Puerto Rico for the annual SOMOS Conference, Governor Hochul, Mayor Mamdani, and Assembly Member Reyes joined six local nonprofit organizations for an informative roundtable discussion convened by Hispanic Federation in Rio Piedras to hear directly from leaders on the ground about the ongoing energy and water infrastructure challenges, increased threats of climate change, and ways to collaborate. The six organizations, Taller Salud, Taller Comunidad La Goyco, Ponce Neighborhood Housing Services, G8: Grupo de las Ocho Comunidades Aledañas al Caño Martín Peña, Parceleras Afrocaribeñas por la Transformación Barrial, and El Puente, who also hosted the convening in their space, all operate resilience hubs that will benefit from this partnership. They emphasized the importance of supporting community-led solutions and presented the resilience hubs as a replicable model for Puerto Rico and communities facing climate threats in New York.
“More than ever, conversations about climate change and environmental justice are essential to the well-being and future of our communities. I am pleased to see the important work that organizations and groups are leading to advance climate justice, strengthen community resilience, and support disaster preparedness across Puerto Rico,” Governor Hochul said. “As the island continues to face a serious water and infrastructure crisis, my administration is supporting the Hispanic Federation’s efforts to install water cisterns, helping families mitigate the impacts of limited access to clean water and ensuring that more communities have access to this essential resource.”
“The people of Puerto Rico have been asked to endure a water system and power grid neglected for decades. When those systems fail, it’s neighbors who step up to make sure their communities have clean water, food and a safe place to turn. They should not have to do it alone. New York is home to one of the largest Puerto Rican communities in the world, and our responsibility to one another does not end at the water’s edge. We are proud to stand with Hispanic Federation and local leaders to build a more resilient future for Puerto Rico,” said Mayor Mamdani.
“I applaud Hispanic Federation and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York for partnering to bring this relief to Puerto Rican families grappling with the effects of the water and climate crisis,” said Assembly Member Karines Reyes, R.N., Chair or the NYS Assembly & Senate’s Puerto Rican / Hispanic Task Force. “This major investment of infrastructure, equipment and emergency support will make a massive difference in the lives of families that have dealt with one crisis after another. As a New Yorker of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, I am so pleased that this relief is benefiting this impacted by the worst of the crisis. More work to do on this issue and others.”
Two of the local nonprofit partners selected plan to develop new community resilience hubs with support from this initiative. For more than four decades, El Puente, a grassroots climate justice organization founded in New York, has built deep relationships between Puerto Rican communities in New York City and on the archipelago. Now, the organization is transforming its base in Río Piedras into an urban model for climate and community resilience. El Puente has long-been a member of Hispanic Federation, collaborating on work in both New York and Puerto Rico. With support from this partnership, they can fast track their vision and expand their community response to be ready before the next emergency.
“Our work across these communities has given us a firsthand understanding of how the challenges facing Puerto Rico reverberate throughout the diaspora, and how the knowledge, resilience, and leadership of Puerto Rican communities on the island can inform and strengthen our work in New York. Our new resilience hub in Río Piedras is rooted in our deep understanding of the realities Puerto Rican communities face—where the impacts of climate change are compounded by decades of crumbling and neglected infrastructure, and where a climate emergency can quickly become a crisis of access to water, power, food, and other basic necessities. This collaboration with Hispanic Federation and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York recognizes the importance of work that can bridge our communities in NY and Puerto Rico and channel resources where they are needed most.” Affirmed Dianne Morales, Executive Director of El Puente.
Ponce Neighborhood Housing Services (Ponce NHS), a nonprofit group with more than 30 years of experience leading community development, housing counseling, and disaster preparedness with communities across southern Puerto Rico, will work with a community in Guayanilla to transform a space into a new hub. Ponce NHS has helped many communities develop community resilience hubs and has collaborated with both Hispanic Federation and the Federal Home Loan Bank on various community initiatives for nearly a decade.
“The Resilience Centers have proven effectiveness in their implementation, demonstrating the capacity to support communities and families in distress, not just in disaster events, but in their daily necessities. Funding these centers is more than just an infrastructure investment, but a commitment to help communities thrive, overcome challenges and move forward. Hispanic Federation and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York have been important and committed partners to moving our resilience work forward,” expressed Elizabeth Colón, Executive Director of Ponce Neighborhood Housing Services who also serves on the FHLBNY’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council.
This partnership is not the first time Hispanic Federation and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York have collaborated to support Puerto Rico. Since 2020, the FHLBNY has provided nearly $1 million in support to Hispanic Federation to support emergency relief after multiple disasters and provide energy resilience to fishing villages across the archipelago.
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About Hispanic Federation
Hispanic Federation (HF) is a nonprofit membership and advocacy organization, founded in 1990, committed to empowering and advancing the Hispanic community, with a focus on low-income, marginalized, and immigrant Latine. With programs in 43 states and territories, HF’s focus areas include immigration, economic empowerment, civic engagement, disaster relief, philanthropy, education, health, and the environment. HF also maintains ongoing public education campaigns and meets the organizational development needs of its member agencies through grant-making and capacity-building assistance.
About the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York
The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY) is a privately capitalized, member-owned cooperative serving more than 330 financial institutions of all sizes, all committed to the customers and communities they serve across New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As the local lender’s local lender, the FHLBNY supports housing and community development by providing reliable liquidity to its member financial institutions. FHLBNY products and programs help expand homeownership opportunities, strengthen communities throughout our District, and promote broad financial stability. The FHLBNY makes its impact in Puerto Rico alongside its members, housing partners, and local community-focused organizations. For its charitable contributions, the FHLBNY looks to support organizations and efforts that align with its own commitment to supporting housing and economic community development.
