HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge Toured St. Thomas Housing Sites and Met With Virgin Islands Nonprofits

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge visited the U.S. Virgin Islands on April 1, 2022, touring housing projects on St. Thomas and meeting in person and virtually with nonprofit representatives about housing programs and initiatives, according to Government House.

During the visit, Fudge toured the Donoe affordable housing project and the Celestino White Sr. Senior Citizens Residence in Sugar Estate. She also met with nonprofit organizations from across the territory and said HUD would assist with housing efforts.

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr., who was in Washington for official meetings, appeared virtually to open the nonprofit meeting. Government House said Bryan had met with Fudge in Washington in February.

According to the Government House account, Fudge said federal housing and recovery funds available to the territory should be used with urgency and warned that Congress could redirect money if progress remained limited.

Interim Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority Executive Director Dayna Clendinen and Virgin Islands Housing Authority Executive Director Robert Graham hosted Fudge and her staff and accompanied them on tours of the Estate Donoe project, which Government House said is part of efforts to replace the Tutu Hi-Rise and Ras Valley housing communities destroyed by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Bryan Chief of Staff Karl Knight also participated in the nonprofit meeting. Government House said Fudge was accompanied by Deputy Assistant Secretary Alan Williams, disaster recovery and planning specialist Jessie Huddleston, and Efrain Maldonado, director of HUD's Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands field office.

Government House said nonprofit participants included Community First of St. Croix, the St. Croix Long Term Recovery Group, Lutheran Social Services of the Virgin Islands, Love City Strong, the Women's Coalition of St. Croix, Methodist Training Outreach Center, the St. Croix Foundation for Community Development, Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands, Island Green Living Association-St. John, the St. John Community Foundation, Continuum of Care Inc. on St. Croix, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, and Legal Services of the Virgin Islands.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-welcomes-hud-secretary-marcia-fudge-to-usvi/