About Us
A house on Roosevelt Avenue, and a promise to our neighbors
HOGAR DE AYUDA EL REFUGIO INC is a registered non-profit organization serving San Juan and the wider Puerto Rico community from its offices on Avenida F.D. Roosevelt.
Our Story
HOGAR DE AYUDA EL REFUGIO INC began the way most honest work begins in Puerto Rico: with people already known to each other. A small circle of neighbors, church volunteers, and social workers in San Juan kept meeting the same families in the same emergencies — after storms, after evictions, after treatment programs ended with no next step. The help available was real but scattered. What was missing was a place to go, and somebody who would still be there the following week.
So the organization was formed and registered as a non-profit entity in Puerto Rico under Registration No. 660477909, with an address people could actually walk to on Avenida F.D. Roosevelt. From that base we grew into five interlocking programs — emergency shelter, expressive art therapy, family food security, youth development, and street outreach — because the crises we meet are never single-issue.
We remain a locally rooted organization, staffed and led by people from the communities we serve. We are accountable to our donors, to the families in our programs, and to the local and federal guidelines that govern tax-exempt non-profit work in the territory.
Our Mission
Our mission at HOGAR DE AYUDA EL REFUGIO INC is to provide safe shelter, holistic support services, educational development, and creative healing channels to individuals and families facing adversity in Puerto Rico, restoring dignity and inspiring long-term self-sufficiency.
Our Vision
Our vision is a compassionate, resilient Puerto Rico where every vulnerable individual finds refuge, recovers from hardship, discovers their inherent potential, and thrives within a supportive, art-enriched community.
Core Values
What we hold ourselves to
Compassion & Dignity
Every person who walks through our door is greeted by name, never by case number. Dignity is not a reward for good behavior — it is the starting condition of our care.
Transparency & Integrity
We publish how funds are used, keep clean books, and answer donor questions directly. Registration #660477909 is printed on every page of this site for that reason.
Community Empowerment
Our neighbors are partners, not beneficiaries. Residents help plan meals, run workshops, and mentor newcomers as they stabilize.
Healing Through Art & Expression
Creative work reaches places words cannot. Painting, music, and craft sit at the center of our recovery model, not at the edges.
Sustainable Impact
We build toward independence: documents, income, housing, and a support network that outlasts our involvement.
Governance & Transparency
Accountable to the people we serve — and to the people who fund us
HOGAR DE AYUDA EL REFUGIO INC operates under the oversight of a volunteer board of directors that reviews program spending, service delivery, and organizational policy. Our books are maintained on an accrual basis and reconciled monthly, with donation income tracked separately by program so restricted gifts can be traced from receipt to use.
We comply with the local and federal requirements that apply to non-profit entities operating in Puerto Rico, including registration and annual reporting obligations under Registration No. 660477909. Donor records are kept confidential and are never sold, rented, or shared for commercial purposes.
Any donor, partner, or community member may request a summary of how funds were applied in a given period by writing to info@hogarelrefugio.art or calling 939-355-0157. We answer these requests.