Bryan administration formed task force for Virgin Islands healthy housing initiative

The Bryan administration said on May 27, 2020, that it had formed the V.I. Healthy Housing Task Force to begin a territorywide review of housing and health-care services in four areas: behavioral health, youth rehabilitation services, supportive housing and elder care services.

Government House said the initiative was launched with local stakeholders and the Corporation for Supportive Housing. The task force included representatives from the departments of Human Services, Health and Labor; the Virgin Islands Housing Authority and Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority; the Workforce Development Board; the St. Croix Foundation; the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands; Lutheran Social Services; the Office of Disaster Recovery; Frederiksted Health Care Inc.; St. Thomas East End Medical Corporation; Juan F. Luis Hospital; and Schneider Regional Medical Center.

Government House said the project steering committee met by webinar in the week before the May 27 announcement.

According to the announcement, the initiative was to proceed in three phases. The first phase was an assessment and inventory of the territory's housing and health-care services. A second phase, scheduled for the end of 2020, was to include a planning session to review existing services, identify additional needs and develop a comprehensive service and housing action plan. A third phase, scheduled to begin in spring 2021, was to focus on implementing recommendations.

The assessment was to examine the types of services provided, populations served, quality of care, gaps in services, staffing needs, performance metrics and a residential facilities plan based on the four focus areas.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-forms-task-force-to-begin-v-i-healthy-housing-initiative/