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Housing Authority says repairs, inspections and redevelopment are driving portfolio recovery
Summary
Executive Director Dwayne Alexander told the committee VIHA has moved from crisis response to a performance‑driven approach, improving INSPIRE inspection scores, completing major revitalizations and launching resident services while facing voucher market pressures and ongoing capital needs.
Dwayne Alexander, executive director of the Virgin Islands Housing Authority, presented a comprehensive report on the authority’s recovery and modernization work. He said the portfolio now counts 22 developments and about 2,426 units, with a recovery pipeline of roughly 400 units in various stages of rehabilitation and a strategic plan to modernize and reduce long‑term maintenance costs through resilient construction.
Alexander noted measurable performance gains: INSPIRE average scores rose (example figure in testimony: average 70% up from 53%), emergency work orders were completed within 24 hours and routine work orders averaged around 14 days. He outlined major projects including the Dunu redevelopment (phased turn‑over beginning mid‑2026), Walter I. Hodge revitalization and senior housing projects, and said VIHA has trained staff and improved maintenance workflows. Alexander acknowledged remaining challenges: escalating construction costs, insurance premiums, and voucher program market stress (2,092 vouchers; ~62% utilization as of the date cited), and asked for sustained legislative partnership and predictable funding.
Why it matters: VIHA’s testimony describes system‑level improvements that could reduce deferred maintenance, accelerate unit turnaround and restore long‑term portfolio stability; however, major capital projects remain underway and market forces constrain voucher placements.
