Assistance center for Puerto Rican evacuees to close Friday

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans who came to Central Florida after Hurricane Maria have gotten help from the state assistance center with everything from food to housing, but now the state is ready to close the center for good.

The center moved from the airport to a location down the road in January as fewer people arrived by plane, but people who had already arrived needed help settling in. 
    
In September, Central Floridians opened their homes and hearts to nearly 200,000 people escaping Puerto Rico after the storm devastated the island.

"It was really bad. So we had to go outside because our house was flooding," said evacuee Jonathan Rivera.

Rivera is one of 34,000 people who came through the state's resource center, which is set to close Friday because state officials say it’s seen a significant decrease in the number of people using its services.

The staff helped his family find jobs and a place to live.

Latino Leadership’s Carlos Guzman said he believes many evacuees still need help.

"Nobody knows that this is here. So, I think it was a bad move. It was a waste of resources,” he said.

He’s concerned some people were unable to find the new location once it moved from the airport.

Guzman said Latino Leadership still works with many struggling families a day and most still need a permanent place to live.

He worries that number will grow in May when the Federal Emergency Management Agency's funding for hotels runs dry.

"It's going to be a huge crisis,” he said.

The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday.

Cox Media Group