Puerto Rico Hosts MARC-NAHRO Housing Conference for the First Time: Up to 350 Leaders Arrive Nov. 12
CoquiList · With information from Ey Boricua / Agencia EFE
Puerto Rico will host the MARC-NAHRO Annual Regional Conference for the first time in its history, a public and affordable housing gathering running from Thursday, Nov. 12 to Saturday, Nov. 14 that will bring 250 to 350 representatives from the United States to the island 12. They will be joined by about 200 public housing residents, community leaders and local officials 2. It is the first time the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council lands in Puerto Rico, and it arrives as the island debates how to close a shortfall of tens of thousands of homes 3.
Background
MARC-NAHRO is the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), a national organization of public housing and redevelopment professionals 2. The Puerto Rico Department of Housing and the Public Housing Administration (AVP) are facilitators, backed by La Fortaleza, the Tourism Company and other agencies 2. The event was announced on Thursday, Nov. 5 12.
Organization president Paul Diggs called the choice of Puerto Rico "a historic milestone" and a reminder that, even if communities face different challenges, the mission is the same: create opportunity, preserve affordable housing and improve families' quality of life 2. The conference motto is "Unidos para generar impacto, juntos nos elevamos" (United to make an impact, together we rise) 2.
The facts and numbers
- Dates: Nov. 12 to 14, 2026 12.
- Expected attendance: 250 to 350 mainland representatives, plus roughly 200 public housing residents, community leaders and HUD and AVP officials 12.
- Thursday, Nov. 12: workshops on affordable housing, financing, rehabilitation, maintenance, federal regulations, natural disasters and artificial intelligence. The call includes developers, builders, contractors, engineers, architects and property managers 12.
- Friday, Nov. 13: remarks from Gov. Jenniffer González Colón; Housing Secretary Luis Augusto Martínez Román; AVP administrator Juan Antonio Rosario Hernández; Diggs; and Joseph J. DeFelice, HUD's Mid-Atlantic regional administrator. HUD Assistant Secretary for Public Housing Benjamin Hobbs will also take part 2.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: visits to El Falansterio, Puerto Rico's first public housing project, and Bayshore Villas, a mixed-finance development, both in Old San Juan 1.
- The AVP will present its work with the island's 328 public communities, their resident councils and the 16 management agents that support them 1.
The backdrop is the shortage. At a Senate working session this week, officials estimated a gap of 54,915 homes for extremely low-income households; 45% of renters spend more than 30% of income on rent and 30% pay more than half 3. The Section 8 waiting list remains closed, according to Rosario, and 86.1% of vouchers are in use 3. Those numbers explain why a conference like this matters beyond the meeting rooms: it is where financing, federal rules and rehabilitation models get negotiated.
What it means for you
If you live in public housing, your resident council and community administration are part of the conversation, and the AVP said there will be room for resident business initiatives 1. If you are a developer, contractor, engineer or architect, the call explicitly includes you, and the financing and rehabilitation workshops could open doors to federal programs 12.
If you are a renter or waiting for assistance, the conference does not change your situation on its own: it is not a new benefit and does not reopen the Section 8 list 3. What it can produce are partnerships and commitments that may become projects in the coming years.
How to / Checklist
- Check whether your role qualifies: the call targets developers, builders, contractors, engineers, architects and property managers 2.
- If you lead a resident council, ask your community administration or the AVP office how to take part in Thursday, Nov. 12 and Friday, Nov. 13 activities; registration details were not specified in the announcements 12.
- Prepare your questions for officials: federal regulations, maintenance and disaster response are central to the program 1.
- If you want to see the projects, mark Saturday, Nov. 14: visits to El Falansterio and Bayshore Villas are on the itinerary, though it is unclear whether they will be open to the public 1.
- Review the information the AVP published about the call before Thursday, Nov. 12 2.
- If you need housing, do not wait for the conference: the Section 8 list remains closed, so take your case to your municipality and the social-interest housing programs currently available 3.
What's next
The event opens Thursday, Nov. 12 and closes Saturday, Nov. 14 with the Old San Juan visits 1. Watch for concrete HUD announcements on funding or regulatory flexibility, which is what actually moves the needle. Meanwhile, the Senate continues weighing alternatives, such as a vacant-property portal and subsidy adjustments, which for now are proposals, not approved benefits 3.
Sources
- Foro Noticioso, "Puerto Rico será sede por primera vez de conferencia regional de vivienda pública de Estados Unidos," Nov. 5, 2026. https://foronoticioso.com/puerto-rico-sera-sede-por-primera-vez-de-conferencia-regional-de-vivienda-publica-de-estados-unidos/
- Ey Boricua / Agencia EFE, "Puerto Rico recibirá por primera vez la conferencia regional de vivienda MARC-NAHRO," Nov. 5, 2026. https://eyboricua.com/puerto-rico-conferencia-vivienda-marc-nahro-2026
- Ey Boricua, "Estiman un déficit de 54,915 viviendas para hogares de ingresos extremadamente bajos," Nov. 5, 2026. https://eyboricua.com/senado-deficit-vivienda-asequible-seccion-8-2026
Sources
CoquiList summary and local context. Read the linked sources for the original reporting.
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