Creating a Homelessness Awareness Campaign for the Unstably Housed in Puerto Rico
Project Sponsor: La Fondita de Jesús and Darving Irizarry
Team Members: Aiden Cavotta, Brady Sheehan, Dan Shanley, Jacob Acevedo
Project Advisors: Professor John-Michael Davis and Jessica Santos
Project Files:
La Fondita Final IQP Presentation (English)
Abstract:
In Puerto Rico, 41.7% of the population lives below the poverty level (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022), and 1% of enrolled students are homeless (National Center for Homeless Education, 2022). Homelessness is a pressing issue, exacerbated by social stigmas and systemic barriers. This project developed a social awareness campaign to challenge misconceptions and highlight the struggles of those seeking stability. Through 19 interviews with community members, staff, and homeless participants of La Fondita de Jesús, we gained insights into their experiences and institutional obstacles. Our findings led to a targeted social media campaign to educate the public, advocate policy change, and foster understanding of homelessness in Puerto Rico.
Executive Summary:
Background
Homelessness in Puerto Rico arises from a combination of economic, environmental, social, and systemic factors. Puerto Rico’s economic struggles perpetuate homelessness, with low wages and high living costs making stable housing unattainable for many. The cost of living in Puerto Rico is 13% higher than the U.S. average (ERI, 2025). Weekly salaries across all 77 municipalities range from $403 to $941, far below the U.S. average of $1,435. The lack of infrastructure in Puerto Rico that is built to withstand natural disasters also negatively impacts the availability of housing during and after disasters. Low-income communities, often situated in areas prone to flooding or landslides, are at the greatest risk of displacement and homelessness. Social stigmas lead those in positions of power, such as government agency employees and police, to discriminate against the homeless.
La Fondita de Jesús, a non-profit organization based in San Juan, is dedicated to serving vulnerable communities facing homelessness throughout Puerto Rico. One of their key projects, La Fondita de Jesús en la Comunidad, provides critical resources such as food distribution, medical equipment, and educational workshops to underserved communities (GlobalGiving, 2024). These projects demonstrate La Fondita de Jesús’ commitment to addressing systemic challenges and empowering communities through sustainable solutions. Their expertise and dedication make them an ideal partner to launch a public education campaign to raise awareness of homelessness in Puerto Rico, leveraging their proven strategies and community engagement models to create lasting impact.
Figure A: La Fondita de Jesus main site in San Juan that provides meals, lockers, showers, and clothes to participants
Project Goal and Objectives
Our project created a public awareness campaign to increase public empathy for the hardship faced by Puerto Rico’s homeless population. Our objectives were created to build relevant interviews and synthesize impactful insights into our campaign:
- Analyze the causes and impact of homelessness in Puerto Rico
- Develop a targeted homelessness awareness campaign
Methods
To gain a better understanding of the causes and recovery challenges of homelessness, we conducted 19 interviews with La Fondita staff, homeless participants of La Fondita’s services, and other community members and other organizations invested in serving the homeless. The interviews were adapted to each subject’s profession and housing status.
Interviews with staff and community members were semi-structured to highlight specific aspects of homelessness in Puerto Rico. For homeless participants, interview questions were open-ended to highlight their lived experience and story.
Once we completed our interviews, we transcribed and coded our notes and recordings for recurring themes. Specific moments were selected to turn into video or static posts. Quotes that gave an anecdotal insight were preferred for video posts due to their relatable nature (see Figure D), and more statistical insight was made into static posts (see Figure B and C).
Figure B: A screenshot and title slide for a video social media post derived from an interview with La Fondita de Jesus data analyst Edwin Otero Cuveas
Findings
Staff and community members shared the term “Gatekeepers” to describe the people who hold power over homeless individuals in their path to stability. Gatekeepers can be seen in many facets of life, including police, government office employees, restaurant managers, and landlords. We found that a gatekeeper’s actions are a common roadblock in the path to stability.
Interviewees shared that the process to intake and process a participant at La Fondita is not as efficient as it could be due to the large volume of participants and to the small number of social workers at La Fondita. Interviewees also gave insight into the shortcomings of the inner workings of government agencies in Puerto Rico as well as international agencies.
Puerto Rico has long grappled with issues of governmental inefficiency and corruption, particularly concerning the management of federal funds allocated for disaster relief and public services. These challenges have not only hindered the island’s recovery efforts but have also strained its relationship with the U.S. federal government.
When asked about the issues involving housing for the participants many of the staff pointed out the fact that within the past few years there have been five short-term rental properties on their street alone. Marcos, a social worker at La Fondita, attempted to use a government housing voucher valued at $569—intended to cover rent and utilities—but was turned away by a landlord who could make the same amount in a single night on Airbnb. With market rents for one-bedroom apartments often exceeding $1,000 and short-term rentals commanding even higher nightly rates, landlords have a clear financial incentive to prioritize tourists over long-term tenants.
Figure C: A graphic highlighting the wastefulness of short-term rental properties to be shared by La Fondita de Jesus’ social media for the awareness campaign
We interviewed 6 current and former participants from La Fondita de Jesús and heard their stories about how they became homeless. Shared lived experiences from participants showed us that a string of unfortunate events can put someone on the street extremely quickly. For example, workplace injury, their identifying documents were stolen, their parents kicked them out when they were young, and rent raising due to the increase of short-term rental properties in the neighborhood were all external factors that pushed people out of their homes. These were things out of their control that forced them to become homeless with no way to get back on their feet.
The social media campaign was developed to cover the variety of themes we derived from our interviews. These themes included government documentation, mental health, gender violence, domestic violence, LGBTQ+ individuals, abandoned properties, and more.
Figure D: Examples of social media posts surrounded around the themes of gender violence and homelessness among LGBTQ+ individuals
We have created 15 social media posts covering the themes extracted from our interviews. Important statistics and potent messages were made at the forefront of the post to maximize the impact on the viewer.
Recommendations
1) Create Accessibility to Content Outside of Social Media Platforms
To effectively reach the most people possible with the campaign, we recommend that multiple methods of delivery be employed. Puerto Rico’s population is rapidly aging, with adults aged 65 and older comprising approximately 22% of the population as of 2020 (Matos-Moreno Et Al, 2022). This demographic shift presents challenges in disseminating information, as many older adults may have limited access to or familiarity with social media platforms.
2) Collecting Data on Social Media Post Engagement
Analyzing how each type of post performs will be integral for the long-term success of the awareness campaign. The landscape of social media will change in the coming years, so adaptability will be key to continuing the campaign. Tools such as Meta Business Suite can be used to easily track and collect data on social media engagement. Additional data surrounding optimal times to post new content and other social media strategies will be helpful to maximize effectiveness of the campaign.
Figure E: La Fondita de Jesus’ Facebook profile where campaign content will be shared
3) Build Network with Other Organizations that Serve the Homeless
Connecting organizations with similar goals to one another will increase the amount they can serve their target populations. The communication between homeless advocacy organizations in Puerto Rico is poor, so an element of the campaign moving forward can include joint posts on Instagram and Facebook to share audiences between multiple organizations.