TESTIMONY 
Committee of the Whole 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Presented by:  
Eugene E. Jones Jr. 
Executive Director  
 
April 9, 2026 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority 
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Good morning, Honorable Senate President Milton E. Potter, members of the 
Committee of the Whole, and members of the listening and viewing audience. I am 
Eugene E. Jones Jr., Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority. 
As requested, the Authority appears before you today to provide clarity regarding 
the status of all funds awarded, appropriated, received, obligated, and expended in 
connection with the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority. 
Following the 2017  storms, the Authority received the Community Development 
Block Grant  - Disaster Recovery, Mitigation and Electrical Grid grants. 
CDBG - Disaster Recovery 
In 2023, the Office of Disaster Recovery assumed programmatic oversight of the 
Disaster Recovery grant, as a Subrecipient, and as such will speak to the status of those 
projects.  
CDBG - Mitigation and Electrical Grid 
The CDBG – Mitigation and Electrical Grid grant funds, administered by VIHFA, 
are intended to support activities that increase long-term resilience to natural hazards and 
reduce risks to life, property, and economic stability, particularly in areas impacted by 
federally declared disasters. Of the $774.1M in MIT funds, $145M was awarded to WAPA 
and fully expended for the acquisition of the VITOL infrastructure. Of the $67M in 
Electrical Grid funds, WAPA applied and was approved for $35.7M for the rebuilding and 
installation of Feeders 11 & 12, Distribution Automated Devices, Transformer 
Replacements, and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). These projects are currently 
in the environmental stage awaiting consultations from our partnering agencies – the 
 
 
Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority 
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Department of Planning and Natural Resources and the Virgin Islands Port Authority – 
and testing. 
Once the consultations and testing results are received, VIHFA is poised to engage 
in a HUD required seven-day public notice period. Following the public notice period, HUD 
has a 15-day approval processing period that culminates in VIHFA’s receipt of an  
Authority to Use Grant Funds (AUGF) which is HUD’s formal approval documentation that 
would allow WAPA to begin project implementation. 
In conclusion, as of this testimony, there are no payments pending VIHFA’s 
approval on behalf of WAPA and or related vendors. The Authority remains firmly 
committed to advancing all eligible projects with efficiency, accountability, and adherence 
to HUD regulations. 
Thank you.