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Construction begins on an EnVIsion Tomorrow project in LaGrande Princesse on St. Croix.

 

 

October 5, 2020

 

HUD Income Waiver Adjustment Improves

EnVIsion Tomorrow Applicant Eligibility

 

U.S. Virgin Islands – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has granted the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority its request to raise the low-and moderate-income limits for the territory.

Published in the Federal Register Notice dated September 25, titled, “Waivers and Alternative Requirements for Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Grantees,” the waiver allows the territory to use the HUD-established area median income (AMI) for St. John—which is the highest—for all three islands. This waiver will be applied wherever grant programs require the application of an AMI. The 2020 area median income for St. John is $65,000; St. Croix, $53,900; and St. Thomas, $60,500.

During an assessment of the unmet needs in the territory, the Authority found that due to the steady rise and high cost of living, income data collected over eight years ago from the Census Bureau did not accurately reflect the number of residents financially burdened who need CDBG-DR assistance.

The waiver will directly impact 276 applicants in the EnVIsion program. For example, a family of four in St. Croix would have to earn no more than $46,400 per year to be eligible for the program under Priority 1. With the application of the St. John income limits for all islands, the same family of four will have to earn no more than $72,650 and be considered Priority 1. This change in income limits allows for more applicants to be eligible for the EnVIsion program.

The  EnVIsion Tomorrow Homeowner Repair and Reconstruction Program can be contacted at (888)-239-3387 and www.vistormrecovery.com.