In the months after
Hurricane Maria destroyed her home in
Puerto Rico, Ashlyn Gonzales moved to Connecticut, where federal and state aid helped her and her longtime partner avoid homelessness.
Connecticut, which saw over 13,000 people arrive from the U.S. Caribbean territory after the hurricane hit in September 2017, was unique in providing almost a million dollars in aid to help families after the Federal Emergency Management Agency's support ran out last year.
The supplementary state aid fund, overseen by the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, drew upon $600,000 in state money allocated by the state legislature and more than $338,000 provided by private donors.