Persons can now apply for Recovery Grants under the Housing Recovery Assistance Programme.

The programme is designed to address the needs of persons requiring housing support while replenishing the housing stock in order to be disaster resilient.

Assistant Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Social Development, Ms. Alisia Browne said offering additional forms of assistance will expand the scope of persons who can apply for and receive the needed help to rebuild homes.

Ms. Browne said applicants must be owners of the uninsured or underinsured properties to be eligible to obtain housing assistance. The homeowners’ property must also have sustained damages due to hurricanes Irma or Maria.

Ms. Browne explained that persons who had previously applied for the Material Grants that began in October 2017 and were successful, will also be eligible for this programme, as they are already in a database created for housing. She added that this application call is for persons who may have missed that phase or who may not have qualified.

The programme is guided by the Virgin Islands Recovery Policy and Hurricane Irma Housing Recovery Plan 2017 to 2019 which was approved by Cabinet in December 2017 and will be spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and Social Development.

Persons can obtain application forms from the old Peebles Hospital at the Housing Recovery Unit, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For all inquiries concerning the Housing Recovery Assistance Programme, persons are asked to telephone 852-7746 or 852-7782.

The Ministry of Health and Social Development aspires to provide a caring and integrated system of health and social services that facilitates the recovery of human development and quality of life in the British Virgin Islands.