For the past several decades, the people of Puerto Rico have come to expect that every few years we have to prepare to brace ourselves for what Mother Nature has in store. The hurricanes we have come to expect take innocent lives, knock out our power grid, and wreak havoc on our infrastructure and tourism business.

Being an island, getting resources to those who need it most expeditiously has always been challenging and we look to partners on the ground who have broad reach and established trust within our communities. And while those are sometimes in short supply, the faith-based community has always been a source of reliability in times of need.

However, for years, federal rules have prevented these partners from receiving disaster funding, hampering our response efforts — thankfully that has finally changed.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued Federal Register Notice Vol. 89, No. 64 (April 2, 2024), 89 FR 22736, granting a new waiver determination that extends emergency relief funding through the Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program to houses of worship in Puerto Rico.

This policy exception, tailored specifically for Puerto Rico, will enable faith-based........

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