ST. CROIX — Tenants of the Virgin Islands Housing Authority living in the Williams Delight housing community moved closer to becoming homeowners Monday evening after they received $15,000 grant award letters toward the purchase of their homes during a presentation at the Legislature of the Virgin Islands.
“Make sure you hold on to that letter now,” Senator Marise James said. “That letter’s worth $15,000.”
The grants were made possible through collaboration between the senator, Governor Albert Bryan Jr., and the Virgin Islands Housing Authority. The grants are funded from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The receipt of the grants coupled with $15,000 in home repairs the Housing Authority has committed to make created a unique opportunity for the tenants to transition from paying rent to owning their homes.
“This means a lot to me,” Ashel Belardo, one of the grant recipients, said after the presentation. “It’s a stepping stone for greater things to happen in the future.”
The home Belardo is preparing to purchase holds a special place in her heart.
“I’m buying the home that my children were raised in,” Belardo, a mother of three, said.
Alicia Francis, who has lived in Williams Delight for 36 years, has been anticipating the day she could purchase her home for nearly three decades.
“I’ve been waiting for this day,” she said. “Thank God this day has come.”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development approved its Section 5(h) homeownership program in 1995, offering public housing agencies a flexible way to sell public housing units to low-income families that provides a beneficial arrangement to both the buyer and PHA that sells the unit. Progress stalled since then due to various challenges, and many families’ dreams of homeownership remained unfulfilled until now, James noted in a statement.
Now that Francis can buy her home, she said she would like to add on a third bedroom and extend her porch. She was thankful to receive the grant to allow her to make the purchase and complete her renovations.
“It’s a great pleasure so I can extend a lot of things in the house,” she said.
Anthony Gerard, a resident of Williams Delight for 35 years, said he has attempted to buy his home in the past but was unable to do so. He said receiving the grant funds will now make it possible.
“It’s so wonderful,” he said.
Mariesha Maynard, Williams Delight Residents Council president, helped finalize the grant program after hearing a desire from the tenants to own their homes by reaching out to James and coordinating with Lydia Pelle, VIHA chief operating officer. Maynard is also a grant recipient.
“Hard work and due diligence pay off,” Maynard said.
James, a freshman senator, said she first heard the Williams Delight tenants speak about the option of purchasing their homes and the delay in the process during a town hall held by the Committee on Housing, Transportation and Telecommunications, of which she serves as the vice chair.
“Some of you came in and you talked about the fact that you had been living in Williams Delight for a long time,” she said. “So, that’s when I first heard about what was happening.”
James immediately reached out to the governor, who secured $2.5 million in ARPA funds to offer the grants. She announced the grant opportunity to the residents during a meeting at the Williams Delight Center on May 30.
READ MORE: “Williams Delight residents hear of $15K grants toward home purchases; VIHA to fund $15K of repairs”
Senator Marvin Blyden, who chairs the Committee on Housing, Transportation and Telecommunications, addressed the tenants. He said he was happy for them, describing the grant funding as a “blessing.”
“I must say Senator James, as the co-chair, really wanted this to happen because homeownership is the most important investment anyone can make in their life in so many ways,” he said.
Pelle, the VIHA chief operating officer, said she had spoken to every recipient as part of the process to provide the grant funding.
“It really warms my heart to know that you were able to obtain this financing through the help of Senator James, the work of the Resident Council,” she said. “The Housing Authority, at one point we tried but I guess politics.”
Pelle clarified that the Housing Authority did not select the residents to receive the grants.
“The residents actually selected themselves,” she said after the presentation. “These are the individuals that came forward and put a down payment down and were able to move forward.”
VIHA has identified about 75 tenants who are eligible to qualify for the grant program based on their income. The first group of 20 received their grant award letters during Monday’s presentation. The recipients will now move toward closing on the purchase of their homes.
“Everybody’s at various stages of the process, so we continue to work with each family to get them to that closing,” Pelle said.
Senate President Novelle Francis Jr. welcomed the residents to the Legislature during the presentation.
“It is a pleasure for us to be here this evening,” he said. “Tonight is a big deal, hopefully for you as it is for me.”
James, in a statement, assured the other Williams Delight tenants eligible for the grant program that her commitment goes beyond this initial milestone of presenting the grant award letters to the first 20 recipients.
“There are many more residents to come, and I will continue to work alongside the community to ensure every eligible family can become a homeowner,” she said in a statement. “Additionally, I will provide support throughout the closing process and ensure access to pro bono legal assistance to make this transition as smooth as possible.”
The homes, which are more than 50 years old, are being sold for $22,000 for two bedrooms, $25,000 for three bedrooms, and $30,000 for four bedrooms, according to James.
Richard Motta Jr., Government House spokesperson, announced the grant funding to the first 20 tenants during Monday’s weekly press briefing.
“This initiative reflects the governor’s deep commitment to making affordable homeownership a reality for more Virgin Islanders,” he said.
Motta said the $15,000 grants are part of the administration’s vision to empower residents to achieve the dream of homeownership, ensuring that the journey is not only achievable but also manageable. He said the governor understands that the path to securing a home can be challenging, adding that the grant is designed to ease that burden.
“It will allow these future homeowners to move forward with confidence knowing that they are supported by their community and their government,” he said. “Homeownership is more than just having a place to call your home. It builds stronger families, creates stability, and establishes a foundation for generations to come.”
