18,832 families await Puerto Rico public housing as 410 units return
Puerto Rico's public housing waiting list stands at 18,832 families, the administrator of the Puerto Rico Public Housing Administration confirmed, The San Juan Daily Star reported. Those families are waiting to receive lease agreements for apartments in public housing projects across the island.
The agency has recovered approximately 410 units that had been illegally occupied or used for criminal activities, including drug and weapons trafficking, the administrator said in an interview with Radio Isla. He said the agency works with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau "every day" to identify and recover those apartments.
The effort began after officials found discrepancies between the agency's housing inventory and the apparent availability of units, the outlet reported. The reclaimed apartments have been restored to the inventory and are being prepared for occupancy by eligible families, adding availability in high-demand areas of the San Juan metropolitan region and in municipalities such as Adjuntas and Jayuya.
Another 840 individuals holding Section 8 housing vouchers are also searching for available housing, the administrator noted. The outlet tied the waiting list to an affordable housing shortage at a time when high housing costs and limited availability have become a major public concern.
What landlords are asking in those markets
In San Juan, 2,182 homes were advertised for rent on November 14, 2026, at a median ask of $1,600 a month. Of those homes, 345 asked $800 a month or less.
The supply is far thinner in the mountain towns the administrator named. Adjuntas had six homes advertised for rent, all at $800 a month or less, with a median ask of $580. Jayuya had one, a house at $450 a month.