HRC Joins Efforts to Help LGBTQ People in Puerto Rico

HRC is proud to join #ReconstruyeQ, a coalition of LGBTQ and allied organizations working to support ongoing rebuilding efforts for LGBTQ people in Puerto Rico who are still suffering from the effects of Hurricane María, which devastated the island last September.

From May 13 to June 3, volunteers from organizations across the U.S. are traveling to the island where they will work with Waves Ahead, an organization based out of San Juan. They will be rebuilding homes for LGBTQ families in five cities before hurricane season resumes in June.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to help my fellow LGBTQ Boricuas regain dignity and shelter — and to be able to offer hands-on support to the rebuilding work with the support of HRC,” said Lisbeth Melendez Rivera, HRC Director of Faith Outreach and Training. Melendez Rivera is from Caguas, a city south of San Juan.

Back-to-back hurricanes last fall caused catastrophic damage to homes and structures across the island, leaving most without power, communications capability or clean water. The death toll from the storm and its aftermath is estimated to be in the thousands, though it is likely that the full impact of the storms on the health and well-being of Puertorriqueños will never be known.

While progress has been made in providing critical services to rebuild lives and businesses, offering healthcare and connecting the LGBTQ community in the eight months since the storm, advocates on the ground say that there remains a lack of adequate resources and visibility to address the unique needs of LGBTQ people.

“How can my heart be both full for being home and broken because my people have been abandoned so?” said Melendez Rivera, who has been on the ground since May 17. “#ReconstruyeQ provides an opportunity for our organizations to help right the inexcusable wrong done to our communities and our families, and to help rebuild a vital, important community.”

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