74.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesHUD OFFICIALS IN TERRITORY

HUD OFFICIALS IN TERRITORY

Officials from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department and the Virgin Islands Housing Authority spent the last few days touring the territory's public housing communities.
Deputy Assistant HUD Secretary Gloria Cousar, along with officials from HUD and the V.I. Housing Authority, visited the Tutu Hi-Rise and the Donoe Apartments Thursday. On Saturday, the group visited the Louis E. Brown Villas on St. Croix. Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen also took part in the tour.
The Brown Villas were badly damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and again when Hurricane Marilyn hit in 1995. According to the Virgin Islands Independent, the V.I. government is bidding for a $25 million HUD grant which would enable them to demolish the 436 units and replace them with a mixed-income community of 291 single- family homes and townhouses. Repairs are also slated to take place at the Tutu-Hi Rise and the Donoe Apartments are set to be demolished.
Sen. Lorraine Berry released a prepared statement referring to a June 3 letter she wrote to HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo, urging him to conduct a tour of the V.I. public housing community.
"There are times in which federal officials may be persuaded to see the viability of a proposed housing project by an on-site inspection, especially one that reveals a severely distressed, blighted, unsafe area, crying for attention," Berry wrote.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.