The Home Journal

Bornn Sets Housing Goals

The Department of Social Welfare has made a recommendation for the 1957 fiscal year beginning July 1st to allocate funds for the construction of decent rental housing for single aged or handicapped persons, Roy W. Bornn, Commissioner of Social Welfare, disclosed last week.

Without such a project, it would be almost impossible to clear any slums in the islands, since all of these slums contain many single aged and handicapped persons for whom re-housing must be provided before Federal approval of projects can be secured, he stated.

Commissioner Bornn, who is chairman of the V.I. Housing & Redevelopment Authority, declared:

"I do feel very keenly that, to meet all the housing needs of the Virgin Islands, we as a community must do more than low rent housing; our Authority and all other agencies concerned must put our strength and energy and intelligence together to get on with the job of clearing the slums; we must find the means to provide good housing for middle income as well as low income families; we must find a way to provide good housing for single persons now barred from low rent projects; and, very important, we must find the way to help families wishing and able to do so, to own their own homes, good, safe, decent homes, to own strong, attractive homes, equipped with the modern facilities of decent living."

I believe all the people of
(Continued on page 4)
Housing Goals

The Virgin Islands step down in their hearts, cherish the same desire I have just expressed, to get on with the job of rehousing and to eradicate the slums that mar our landscape and our lives. There's only the question of how best that can be accomplished.

I am convinced that the Federal aids available for slum clearance, redevelopment and renewal offer us unparalleled opportunities to accomplish that aim. I am convinced that the legislative and executive branches of our government working together can devise means to harness these Federal aids for our benefit that would work wonders in our island.