The St. Croix Women’s Coalition’s will get $209,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funding this year to help renovate its Sojourner House Emergency Shelter Facility, ravaged by an electrical fire in August.
Funding for the shelter was one of 20 projects given the OK when the Legislature approved this year’s block grant package Thursday, apportioning $1.9 million among an array of community service organizations.
Various nonprofit groups submitted 59 applications requesting a combined total of $7.5 million to the V.I. Housing Finance Authority for consideration this year; VIHFA oversees the CDBG program. Many of this year’s projects serve pressing community needs ranging from homeless services to after-school homework help. The CDBG program is supervised nationally by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which distributes block grant funds to the states and territories. With HUD approval, local governments select projects and recipients from among qualified local nonprofit organizations.
The V.I. Housing Finance Authority manages the CDBG program within the territory and $375,000 of the CDBG money is set aside to the VIHFA for administrative costs this year.
Below are the individual regular CDBG grants for this year.
St. Croix:
- $209,000 to the St. Croix Women’s Coalition for renovations of the Sojourner House Emergency Shelter Facility;
- $69,000 to Armapavie sports club to build a dormitory above the concession building at their sports field near Hovensa for visiting teams and as a storm shelter;
- $69,000 to St. Croix Soccer Association to fix up five acres of soccer playing field in Fredensborg;
- $47,000 to St. Croix Soccer Association to repair its roof, replace stolen underground cables and prepare the building for use as a headquarters;
- $100,000 to the Mon Bijou Homeowners Association to purchase a vacant lot across the street from the neighborhood’s community center for a new community center;
- $15,000 to Frederiksted Baptist Church/Project Home Ministries for counseling and other services at the Eagles Nest Men’s Temporary Shelter;
- $35,000 to Holy Ghost Deliverance Ministries for its after school program;
- $18,000 to St. Croix Youth Soccer Associations for scholarships and uniform kits for moderate income children in Mon Bijou Fredensbord and Glynn areas;
- $30,000 to V.I. Resource Center for the Disabled for its after school program;
- $38,000 to the Mon Bijou Homeowners Association for its after school and summer enrichment program;
- $20,000 to Ten Thousand Helpers of St. Croix to continue the landscaping and other small job
- training programs with the residents of the facility.
St. Thomas:
- $315,000 to Agriculture for construction of the Bordeaux Farmer’s Market, including restrooms, the stage office and retaining walls;
- $50,000 to the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, St. Thomas/St. John to rehabilitate its existing facility to convert it into administrative offices and a 15-bed transitional housing facility;
- $200,000 to Family Resource Center to complete construction of the counseling and office building and to replace the roof on an existing counseling center;
- $74,700 to Hearts in Services Association to buy land for a transitional housing facility for the homeless;
- $28,000 to Wesley Methodist Church for an after school program for about 55 students;
- $31,302 to V.I. Resource Center for the Disabled, for an after school program;
- $25,000 to St. Andrews Seek and Serve after school program;
- $10,000 to Long Path/Garden Street Association for its after school program.
St. John:
- $15,000 to the Sisterhood Mentoring Program for mentoring at-risk young women age 11-17 and other groups in housing communities to instill knowledge of cultural roots and community awareness.
