Oct. 29, 2004 – The V.I. Housing Authority recently received $2 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide private housing vouchers for 284 families living at Louis E. Brown public housing community on St. Croix.
HUD spokesman Donna White said Friday that the community is slated for demolition because it is in bad condition. She did not have a date for the demolition to start.
She said the money is for one year's rent subsidy. The year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2005. She expected that the funding will be renewed in subsequent years.
White said that eligible families pay no more than 30 percent of their income for rent under this program.
She said that the funding comes under the Housing Choice Voucher Program, previously known as Section 8.
"It's to ensure that these families will be able to find safe, decent housing in the private rental market," she said.
She said that the Housing Authority applied for money to fund subsidies for 436 families, but HUD could provide only enough for the 284 families.
Calls to the Housing Authority administrative office on St. Thomas were passed on to White.
She did not have details on what would happen to the families who will not receive subsidies under the program. Additionally, she did not know if there was enough private housing on St. Croix to absorb all 436 families.

Back Talk

Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice… click here.