Resilience and Accessibility for St. John Homes

Love City Strong formed in the immediate aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria, developing programs to serve the St. John community in recovery efforts based on damage from those devastating storms. One of the most critical issues was the lack of safe and secure shelter, and as a response, our housing recovery program has completed 36 full rebuilds since 2018. As we continue working across the island, it has become clear that we need to expand the scope of our program with an eye towards mitigation. 

In the fall of 2021, we began repairs on the house of a senior resident with mobility issues. Since the storms, this resident had been living without running water or power, safe access to her home, missing doors and windows, and compromised areas of her roof. Our initial scope of work included reinforcing her stairs and walkways, replacing doors and windows, as well as coordinating with our local partners to reconnect her to reliable water and electricity. 

Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we are now preparing to execute the next phase of repairs. Working together with a local construction team, we have developed a plan to repair the damage to the roof in stages that will allow her to remain in the home while the work is underway. We have also purchased and installed kitchen appliances to replace the items that were destroyed in the storm, and due to exposure to the elements. 

There remains a number of homes on St. John with varying levels of damage, compounded by decades of weather events and lack of access to adequate repair. Love City Strong works with each case on an individualized response that meets the needs of each client. Our primary goal is to ensure that homes on St. John are resilient and secure in order to mitigate the impacts of a future disaster.

In the 5 years since hurricanes Irma and Maria, we have continually refined and expanded our programming to adapt to the changing needs of the community. This work does not happen overnight, but we are committed to seeing each project through to completion. We are so grateful for your continued support for this important project.

At Love City Strong, preparedness is at the core of all our ongoing projects. As we approach the upcoming hurricane season, we take stock of all our programs, evaluating our overall preparedness and the progress we have made in mitigation efforts for any future hazards. 

Housing is one of the most complex parts of recovery after a disaster. After the hurricanes in 2017, HUD estimated that 74% of low and middle income homes on St. John were damaged. Since 2018, Love City Strong has partnered with several other nonprofits, along with St. John-based construction companies and dozens of qualified local professionals to help create the Resilient Housing Initiative (RHI).

Throughout 2020 and 2021, it became clear that recovery challenges were increasing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global supply logistics, coupled with widespread economic downturns and access to affordable labor hindered a return to safe, accessible homes.

In October of 2021, we received a grant through the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, with funding provided by the Island Spirit Fund. Cruzan®Rum, along with GlobalGiving, established The Island Spirit Fund to support disaster relief. It issues grants to local organizations with boots on the ground and lasting relationships in affected areas. Specifically, this grant was awarded to help with repairs on the hurricane damaged homes of two St. John residents.

This funding came at a critical point, and allowed us to expand the RHI program to accept small scopes of work, and reach more residents of the St. John Community. 

In the last 4 years we have made incredible progress, but there is still more work to be done. Your support is critical to continue these projects, and to help ensure that we are prepared as possible for the upcoming season.