SERVICES
Through its history of working closely with diverse communities, the CRH has established itself as the leading provider of technical assistance, consulting, and expert opinions on property abandonment in Puerto Rico. To further expand its pilot projects, ensuring they are sustainable and compatible with community development, and to secure the resources necessary to continue offering its programs to the community, the CRH provides a variety of services to municipalities and non-profit organizations.
COMMUNITY PLANNING
FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC NUISANCE PROGRAMS
Although the processes of identifying, declaring, and acquiring public nuisances fall under the purview of municipal governments, the CRH also provides direct support to communities through technical and legal assistance. By working alongside residents' associations and non-profit organizations already serving these communities, participatory planning efforts are undertaken to better understand the problem of neglect, identify community development opportunities, and promote the necessary changes in the legal framework and public policy to address this situation.
STEPS
01
INVENTORY
Build street by street an inventory of unused and abandoned properties. During the process, residents identify health and safety risks.
COMMUNITIES AND NGOS
COLLABORATORS
ANALYSIS
02
Investigate the tax and legal status of each property, identifying those with the greatest potential for specific and viable projects.
03
PLANNING
Write a Community Plan through participatory processes and outlining strategies to address community needs with available assets.
04
TRAINING
Adopt the legal structures necessary to implement the Plan, such as strengthening a residents' association or creating a land trust.
ADVOCACY
05
Work on the approval of ordinances necessary for the Plan, such as creating title transfer programs and community land banks.
Psychological Legal Clinic
of the University of Puerto Rico
LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Do you need legal advice to assert your property rights?
The CRH can help you free of charge. In collaboration with the Access to Justice Fund Foundation, we are providing support and/or legal representation to eligible, low-income individuals and community-based organizations in the following legal processes: inheritance, adverse possession, property title proceedings, eviction, declaration of public nuisance, among others. This program aims to prevent property abandonment, establish ownership of real estate, and promote justice in matters related to property rights.
Cases that help people legalize their possession and resolve ownership disputes to prevent property abandonment.
Inheritance and Ownership
Representation for property owners seeking to remove a nuisance declaration on their property, allowing its rehabilitation and use.
Declaration of Public Nuisance
Assistance for people seeking to legalize their possession of a property through adverse possession or who are facing possession disputes.
Possession / Adverse Possesion
Representation for property owners seeking to remove a nuisance declaration on their property, allowing its rehabilitation and use.
Legal Advice for Donations
*Service subject to certain terms and conditions. Each participant must submit a pre-qualification form and request for legal assistance.*
This program is made possible by a grant from the Access to Justice Fund Foundation, Inc.
"PLACEMAKING"
TO MAKE SPECIFIC COMMUNITY IMPACT PROJECTS VIABLE
Video courtesy of the Center for Creative Land Recycling
COMMUNITIES AND NGOS
COLLABORATORS
Development Association
Tras Talleres Community
Center for Creative
Land Recycling
Many entities—such as residents' associations, service providers, community development corporations, and other non-profit organizations—have already identified properties that could be rehabilitated and transformed for productive uses to benefit their communities. However, the processes of identifying, classifying, declaring, and eventually acquiring these properties must be channeled through the municipalities.
This process can be complex and bureaucratic and, in many cases, generate reservations or uncertainty on the part of municipal governments that lack experience in procedures related to managing public nuisances.
To facilitate these types of initiatives, the CRH offers technical assistance, legal support, and guidance during each stage of the process, from identifying and evaluating the property to designing strategies for its recovery and reuse.
TAX SPONSORSHIP
SUPPORT FOR GROWING COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND NGOS
Many community organizing initiatives, the reclamation of abandoned spaces, and the creation of placemaking projects arise organically, driven by the commitment and vision of the communities, even when they initially lack a formal organizational structure or legal support.
Recognizing this reality, the CRH not only provides guidance on appropriate organizational models for community projects but also offers tax support through collaborative agreements. This mechanism allows emerging or developing organizations to temporarily access tax exemptions—such as the state Section 1101 and the federal 501(c)(3) program—while they develop their administrative capacity, strengthen their leadership, and consolidate their work plans.
Through these collaborative agreements, the CRH offers guidance in the following areas:
The creation and development of boards of directors,
The forms of organization (non-profit organization, social interest corporation, trusts, etc.),
Guidance on tax implications and support in the processes to obtain tax exemptions and complete the transition out of tax auspices.
Information about possible sources of financing and subsidies applicable to your project.
If you are a community-based entity interested in receiving information about CRH fiscal sponsorship, please contact us.
COMMUNITIES AND NGOS
COLLABORATORS
CRH DEVELOPMENTS
WHAT IS IT AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
CRH Developments is a strategic pilot project developed by the CRH to directly address the affordable housing crisis in Puerto Rico. The initiative focuses on acquiring foreclosed properties, rehabilitating them, and converting them into safe, dignified, and accessible homes for families facing structural barriers to housing.
Through its ongoing work with municipalities, the CRH identified a critical gap in the affordable housing sector, caused by a shortage of non-profit organizations dedicated exclusively to this area. In response, CRH Developments emerged as an innovative model that integrates available resources, existing incentives, and local labor with a social and community focus.
Thanks to strategic support and a commitment to the communities, several properties have already been rehabilitated and sold to participants in the R3 program, demonstrating that it is possible to transform existing resources into concrete, sustainable, and measurable solutions. This approach prioritizes people and families over the interests of investors, reaffirming the CRH's social mission.
CRH Developments now seeks to scale its impact and serve as a replicable model for other organizations committed to creating a fairer, more inclusive, and accessible future in housing.