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Housing issues affect everyone in Connecticut, from those who are searching for a safe place to live, to those who may find it increasingly difficult to afford a place they already call home.WNPR is covering Connecticut's housing and homelessness issues in a series that examines how residents are handling the challenges they face. We look at the trends that matter most right now, and tell stories that help bring the issues to light.

Parranda In Hartford: Puerto Rican Evacuees Enjoy Tradition While Satisfying Important Need

Ryan Caron King
/
WNPR
The celebration of Parranda brought music and dance to Hartford's City Hall Saturday.

As well as providing an opportunity to mark the holidays, Saturday’s “Esparanza de Parranda” in Hartford highlighted an important need for those displaced by Hurricane Maria.

And that’s a warm meal.

A traditional Puerto Rican parranda is a holiday tradition where Puerto Ricans gather in groups to sing carols and celebrate their heritage. On Saturday night, danced and sang in the streets of Hartford, stopping by Mayor Luke Bronin’s home Saturday night en route to a final stop at City Hall.

For at least one night, Merely Torres-Garcia and her family got to eat a traditional meal and enjoy the comforts of home.

“We can talk Spanish,” Torres-Garcia said. “We can see the flag. We can eat our food. We can hear our music. And we need that. We need that to feel happy.”

In October, FEMA offered its Transitional Sheltering Assistance program to those displaced by Hurricane Maria. Torres-Garcia was accepted and placed by FEMA at the Red Roof Inn Plus in Hartford with her family - but life in a hotel means no kitchen.

“We don’t get used to eating microwaved stuff,” Torres-Garcia said. “We eat a lot of rice in Puerto Rico. We eat rice and beans and meat. In the microwave, it’s very difficult [to make that]. And my kids—it’s difficult for them too.”

Credit Ryan Caron King / WNPR
/
WNPR
"We can eat our food," said Merely Torres-Garcia (upper right). "We can hear our music. We need that to feel happy.” She posed with her family in Hartford's City Hall on December 16.

Her two kids get breakfast and lunch at school, but Torres-Garcia eats all three meals in the hotel. Because she eats a lot of food that she isn’t used to, and because she sometimes drinks faucet water, she said it makes her dizzy. Sometimes she won’t eat.

The families reached out to local restaurants like Aqui Me Quedo and Comerio in hopes that they could cover maybe a meal a night for the families living at the hotel.

As of now, the families have a place to stay until January 13. FEMA said that could change if the governor of Puerto Rico asks for an extension of the assistance program.

Torres-Garcia said FEMA closed her case and that come January 13, her family will be homeless.

Frankie Graziano is the host of The Wheelhouse, focusing on how local and national politics impact the people of Connecticut.

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