St. Thomas, VI – August 20, 2024 – Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (Enterprise) hosted the Housing Our Community event, bringing together the 2024 grant recipients of U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Housing Ecosystem Development Grants Program to share their innovative projects, exchange ideas, and discuss challenges and lessons learned.

The event, held on August 20, 2024, at The Westin Beach Resort in St. Thomas, USVI, featured the four 2024 grantees. Each organization detailed how they plan to utilize up to $100,000 in grants, funded by the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, to advance affordable housing development in the USVI.

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  340 Integrated Project Team will focus on building capacity in the construction sector to develop new housing opportunities in St. Croix.
• AC Development, LLC will advance the development of 80 new homes on St. Thomas, addressing a critical need for affordable housing.
• Love City Strong will leverage the grant to support research and networking, accelerating their development plans and homeownership initiatives on St. John.
• Our Town Frederiksted, Inc. will support the rehabilitation of storm-damaged homes and deliver educational services aimed at preventing building decay and abandonment, preserving the historical fabric of the Frederiksted community in St. Croix.

The 2024 grantees were joined at the event by the three 2023 grantees: St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (St. Croix); WMWilliams & Partners, Inc. (St. Thomas); and Adrian Realty, LLC (St. John). Other attendees included government partners, representatives of financial institutions, and other key stakeholders in the territory’s affordable housing sector. During the open forum, facilitated by Jelani Newton (Senior Director, Enterprise Advisors) and Antoinette Fleming (Consultant, Enterprise Advisors), participants discussed the unique opportunities and challenges of affordable housing development in the USVI. The 2023 grantees shared updates on their ongoing projects, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and viewing each other as partners in this critical work.

In addition to grant funding, grantees will receive ongoing technical assistance and training resources throughout the course of the program. A follow-up training and networking event is scheduled for early 2025, further fostering collaboration and capacity-building within the territory’s affordable housing ecosystem.

For the latest updates on grantees and upcoming activities, please visit our USVI Housing Ecosystem Development Grants Program webpage.