The U.S. Virgin Islands Health Department is evaluating a preliminary proposal to build a cluster of modular “tiny homes” on approximately 9.8 acres at the Anna’s Hope site on St. Croix for transitional and supportive housing linked to behavioral health services, though plans for a comprehensive inpatient treatment facility remain uncertain. Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion said in testimony to the Senate Committee on Health, Hospitals, and Human Services that the department “is evaluating potential uses” and “one preliminary concept currently being explored is a small-scale, community-based housing model utilizing modular or ‘tiny home’ units.”
Long-standing crisis spurs modest proposal
The territory’s mental health crisis prompted Governor Albert Bryan Jr. to declare a state of emergency on mental health after taking office in 2019 and to sign the Behavioral Health Act into law in 2022, which mandates establishing at least one behavioral health treatment facility. However, in January, Bryan admitted those plans have been abandoned, citing cost. “We priced it out, it was $242 million. We don’t have the money to do it,” he said. Individuals court-ordered to receive treatment are currently shipped off-island to private facilities at government expense, unable to remain near family during care. Others accused of crimes have remained jailed indefinitely awaiting treatment beds.
Funding gaps and next steps
The department anticipates requesting $4.5 million from “The Fiscal Year 2027 Community Project Funding Request” through the Office of the Delegate to Congress, Stacey Plaskett. Encarnacion emphasized that “this concept is not yet approved and remains one of several options being explored.” Any advancement would require a formal feasibility study, stakeholder engagement, and multidisciplinary planning to assess zoning, funding sources, workforce needs, and sustainability. Encarnacion noted the department “continue[s] to see rising rates of depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and serious mental health conditions, driven by economic stress, trauma, social isolation, and limited access to care—compounded by the unique challenges of our small island community. This includes workforce shortages, geographic barriers, and resource constraints.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/health-dept-considering-tiny-homes-as-stop-gap-solution-to-mental-health-crisis/article_2cf32a6f-711e-48fc-b1ed-8b11cae87c93.html