54 December 2015 - Business View Caribbean
While the Government of the Virgin Islands is obligated
to provide municipal services such as schools, police
and fire protection, garbage collection, road and street
light maintenance, and water to the residents of public
housing, VIHA’s main service to its residents is to ad-
minister the three main programs by which HUD funds
affordable housing in the U.S. and its Territories: Pub-
lic Housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, and Section 8
Assistance.
Public Housing was established to provide decent
and safe rental housing for eligible low-income fami-
lies, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. Public
housing comes in all sizes and types from efficiencies,
to scattered single family houses, to high rise apart-
ments, to one-bedroom units for the elderly. There are
approximately 1.2 million households living in public
housing units in the U.S., managed by some 3,300
Housing Authorities (HAs). HUD administers federal
aid to local HAs which manage the housing for low-
income residents at rents they can afford.
While Public Housing Funds go to the individual HAs,
both for capital improvements and for their day-to-day
operations, Housing Choice Vouchers are a form of
monetary assistance that go to very low-income indi-
viduals and families so that they can rent, lease, or
purchase safe, decent, and affordable privately-owned
housing. Finally, HUD also provides what is known as
Section 8 Assistance for Public Housing Relocation/
Replacement. Section 8 vouchers can be allocated
to public housing tenants who are forced to move be-
cause of the rehabilitation or demolition of their public
housing unit, allowing them to relocate into privately-
owned housing and still pay affordable rent. This as-
sistance helps make the demolition of obsolete public
housing projects possible, while supporting displaced
residents.
The VIHA’s challenge is trying to keep up with the de-
