{"id":22958,"date":"2022-07-07T22:51:30","date_gmt":"2022-07-08T03:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev?p=22958"},"modified":"2022-07-06T17:17:40","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T22:17:40","slug":"bill-seeking-to-fund-refurbishing-of-building-to-provide-services-for-the-homeless-held-in-committee-over-ownership-of-building-other-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/bill-seeking-to-fund-refurbishing-of-building-to-provide-services-for-the-homeless-held-in-committee-over-ownership-of-building-other-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Seeking to Fund Refurbishing of Building to Provide Services for the Homeless Held in Committee Over Ownership of Building, Other Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>United States Virgin Islands<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A bill that sought to use government funds to purchase a building to provide services for the homeless and mentally ill on St. Croix, in what was described as a public-private relationship, was held in committee following concerns about the measure.<\/p>\n<p>Bill No. 34-0176 is an Act appropriating $325,000 from the Community Facility Trust Fund to the General Fund for the purpose of supporting the refurbishment of a building located at No. 33 Company Street, Christiansted. The building would be used by the Collective Collaboration, Inc.,\u00a0an adult mental health and homelessness program established in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>But the building would not be owned by the Government of the Virgin Islands and some lawmakers saw that as a problem. Deputy Property and Procurement Commissioner Vincent Richards, said the government should own the building and then lease it to the Collective Collaboration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf any funds from this appropriation would be earmarked for the acquisition of property, the government would need to acquire the property itself and hold title to the property. This process requires three appraisals, the governor\u2019s and Legislature\u2019s approval,\u201d Mr. Richards said while explaining that leasing the property to the Collective Collaboration would be in line with other plans of the government to lease property to nonprofit organizations.<\/p>\n<p>Senator Donna Frett-Gregory were among lawmakers who, while supporting the efforts of the Collective Collaboration, voiced concern with the measure. \u201cI am in full support of Collective Collaboration and the work they do,\u201d she said. \u201cHowever, the information and ask that came before the committee was unclear and remained unclear throughout the discussion. The Department of Property and Procurement gave their support but also strongly recommend that the GVI purchase the building and turn lease it to the nonprofit even if it\u2019s only for a a few dollars per year, that\u2019s what I will support. And if we need to appropriate funding for the up fitting I\u2019m there because of the service the entity provides to our community. Let\u2019s just do it right the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The bill was ultimately held in committee, with Senators Frett-Gregory, Janelle Sarauw, Dwayne DeGraff and Marvin Blyden voting to hold it. Senator Javan James voted in favor while Senators Samuel Carrion and Kurt Vialet abstained.<\/p>\n<p>During the hearing, Karen Dickenson, founder and president of the Collective Collaboration, said that mental health care and homelessness in the territory have reached crisis levels and that there is a lack of resources to address the problem. She said the government has not provided the resources to fight the growing issue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe plight of homeless and mental health in a small community as such should not be at this crisis level,\u201d Ms. Dickenson said. \u201cWe are in crisis and no one seems to care. The necessary resources to address the problem are nowhere in sight. Politicians continue to use my family as the fundamental of their campaign, and after election, they become the visible invisible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Dickenson, visibly emotional, said the Collective Collaboration continues to do its part in impacting the community and empowering individuals. \u201cMy family is no different than yours, they are not requesting a lot. A simple meal, a safe place to rest, and people to care for and provide support. This is not an easy job, it is not. However, it is a job I love as these are my family. I ask everyone here who has a heart to lend your support to this bill.\u201d She said the measure\u2019s approval would allow for many to have a safe space at night \u201cjust like you and I in your family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Francis, the bill sponsor,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/novelle.francis.7\/posts\/pfbid02ccziD8vYfwWZWVfV3Ns9h9UYUfNM13DYVua3KD8En6iCKogZd85ZF2NZ1YFqJLMMl\">in a post of Facebook<\/a>\u00a0following the hearing stated, \u201cSometimes all that\u2019s keeping people from being out on the streets is one paycheck. Sometimes it\u2019s mental illness. Sometimes it\u2019s just bad luck. The reality is that the only difference between someone who is homeless and you, is that you have the stability of knowing where you are going to sleep every night and that you will be safe. That is the only difference.\u00a0 Our homeless are people, too, and I will continue to advocate on their behalf.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/vi-government\/virgin-islands-bill-seeking-to-fund-refurbishing-of-building-to-provide-services-for-the-homeless-held-in-committee-over-ownership-of-building-other-concerns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>image: pexels-rodnae-productions<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>United States Virgin Islands \u00a0 A bill that sought to use government funds to purchase a building to provide services for the homeless and mentally ill on St. Croix, in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1091,"featured_media":22959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[250],"tags":[190,284],"class_list":["post-22958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-articles","tag-construction","tag-united-states-virgin-islands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/pexels-rodnae-productions-8292896-scaled-e1657145923645.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6u9Qa-5Yi","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12737,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/contracts-inked-for-3-projects-on-virgin-gorda\/","url_meta":{"origin":22958,"position":0},"title":"Contracts inked for 3 projects on Virgin Gorda","author":"Michele Marius","date":"May 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Contracts worth a total of $3.5 million were signed with Virgin Islands firms over the past week to repair a school and two administration buildings on Virgin Gorda that were damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017. On Friday, the government, the Recovery and Development Agency, and Roy Garraway of Quality\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News\/Developments&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News\/Developments","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/newsdevelopments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Business-Office-Contract-Agreement-Deal-rawpixel-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Business-Office-Contract-Agreement-Deal-rawpixel-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Business-Office-Contract-Agreement-Deal-rawpixel-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Business-Office-Contract-Agreement-Deal-rawpixel-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18372,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/eshs-rebuild-to-be-under-two-part-plan\/","url_meta":{"origin":22958,"position":1},"title":"ESHS rebuild to be under two-part plan","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"September 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"British Virgin Islands Government is working with the Recovery and Development Agency and two United States-based nonprofits\u00a0to finalise designs for a rebuilt\u00a0Elmore Stoutt High School, according to Deputy Premier Dr. Natalio \u201cSowande\u201d Wheatley. In the meantime, however, it plans to construct \u201cadditional buildings\u201d designed to accommodate both junior and senior\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/pexels-pixabay-207691-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/pexels-pixabay-207691-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/pexels-pixabay-207691-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/pexels-pixabay-207691-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/pexels-pixabay-207691-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4977,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/cdb-approves-usd50-million-to-restore-economic-stability-build-resilience-in-bvi\/","url_meta":{"origin":22958,"position":2},"title":"CDB approves USD50 million to restore economic stability, build resilience in BVI","author":"Michele Marius","date":"March 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Board of Directors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has approved a USD50 million (mn) loan to the Government of the British Virgin Islands. The funds will support efforts to restore economic stability and build resilience following the passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. Damage and loss\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News\/Developments&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News\/Developments","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/newsdevelopments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Buildings-construction-cranes-Juhasz-Imre-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Buildings-construction-cranes-Juhasz-Imre-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Buildings-construction-cranes-Juhasz-Imre-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Buildings-construction-cranes-Juhasz-Imre-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31805,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/governors-office-funds-three-youth-empowerment-projects\/","url_meta":{"origin":22958,"position":3},"title":"Governor\u2019s Office Funds Three Youth Empowerment Projects","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"December 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"British Virgin Islands The Governor\u2019s Office, through UK Funding, has provided three grants totaling $30,000 to deliver youth empowerment projects in the BVI to 13 to 21 year olds. The Governor\u2019s Office invited bids earlier this year and received 12 excellent applications from established non-profit organizations in the Territory which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pexels-pixabay-372787-scaled-e1703815719864.jpg?fit=1023%2C682&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pexels-pixabay-372787-scaled-e1703815719864.jpg?fit=1023%2C682&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pexels-pixabay-372787-scaled-e1703815719864.jpg?fit=1023%2C682&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pexels-pixabay-372787-scaled-e1703815719864.jpg?fit=1023%2C682&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36028,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/belize-and-us-virgin-islands-progress-large-scale-bess-projects\/","url_meta":{"origin":22958,"position":4},"title":"Belize and US Virgin Islands progress large-scale BESS projects","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"August 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Belize and United States Virgin Islands The Central American country of Belize is seeking services related to the procurement of a 40MW battery energy storage system (BESS) project. The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment is seeking expressions of interest (EOI) from consultants and experts to assist it with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pok-rie-33563-189524-scaled-e1724976802906.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pok-rie-33563-189524-scaled-e1724976802906.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pok-rie-33563-189524-scaled-e1724976802906.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pok-rie-33563-189524-scaled-e1724976802906.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32275,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/department-of-labor-secures-approval-for-government-building-ownership-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":22958,"position":5},"title":"Department of Labor Secures Approval for Government Building Ownership","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"January 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"United States Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands Department of Labor (VIDOL) is excited to announce a significant milestone with the 35th Legislature approving the measure that paves the way to move forward with acquiring ownership of its current building on St. Thomas. This move, transitioning the location into a government-owned\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Buildings-construction-cranes-Juhasz-Imre-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Buildings-construction-cranes-Juhasz-Imre-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Buildings-construction-cranes-Juhasz-Imre-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Buildings-construction-cranes-Juhasz-Imre-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1091"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22958"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22989,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22958\/revisions\/22989"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}