Eugene E. Jones, Jr. has arrived in the Virgin Islands with a long resumé and what he says is a goal to help provide affordable housing for all V.I. residents, regardless of income.
“It’s not just about providing shelter,” he said when his appointment was announced. “It’s about building communities where people can truly call home, where they can thrive, and create lasting connections.”
Jones’ experience in the field of public housing made him an attractive candidate to run the V.I. Housing Finance Authority, an agency that has expanded greatly both in responsibility and in funding over the last few years.
Jones spoke with the Source last week about his new position and his extensive background in housing-related programs.
“I’ll be 69 this year,” he said, adding that some people thought he was retiring when he announced he was leaving his last position, but he’s not ready for that.
Born in Detroit, Jones said he traveled the world, first as the son of an Air Force member and later in his own 10-year stint with the Air Force. When he left the military, he pursued higher education. He said he earned a business degree from the University of Albuquerque and his MBA from New Mexico Highlands University.
His experience in housing programs includes a stint with the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, which he left in 2015, moving on to become the chief operating officer with the Chicago Housing Authority, where, according to a Chicago Sun Times article, he was widely credited with bringing “stability to (that) agency” and “compassion to public housing residents.” He left that position in August of 2019, about a year before his contract ended, and started work as the executive director of the Atlanta Housing Authority in the fall of 2019.
“I worked there until February 12 of this year,” Jones said. He’s been on the job at VIHFA since April 8.
He has a three-year contract with the authority, with a formal evaluation every six months and with an opportunity to extend, he said. His salary is $288,000, and there are no benefits, and no other compensation such as a housing allowance or relocation bonus. Although that’s a bit less than he has made in the past, “It’s not always about the money,” he said.
Jones has been familiarizing himself with this new position the past three weeks. He said he’s been meeting with staff and VIHFA board members, and with people from the community, both government workers and people from the private sector, and he has toured all three islands.
“I have a great staff and a great board,” he said.
Jones said his first visit to the territory was in November when he interviewed for the position. So far, the main difference he sees between the Virgin Islands and other places he has worked is “the topography,” with hilly terrain making for difficult construction, especially on St. John.
Otherwise, as far as decent, affordable housing is concerned, “The want is still the same” be it Chicago, Atlanta, or the Virgin Islands.
HFA’s primary focus is promoting affordable housing options for low-and moderate-income residents, and it manages numerous programs in that vein, some aimed at assisting renters and others at promoting home ownership.
Programs assisting home buyers, particularly first-time buyers, include help in obtaining a mortgage, training and counseling, tax credits for low-income housing and home inspection services, information about foreclosure prevention and post-purchase counseling.
“We are one-stop shopping,” Jones said.
While affordable housing is at the heart of HFA, it has another, somewhat temporary but major duty.
Among the billions of dollars in federal assistance to the territory prompted by the 2017 hurricanes is nearly $2 billion worth of Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds. That grant came from U.S. Housing and Urban Development, and responsibility for it landed on the Housing Finance Authority.
While much of the CDBG-DR funding is earmarked for affordable housing projects in the way of repair, replacement, development, subsidy, and other programs, there are also funds for everything from harbor dredging and tourism promotion to improvements for the Water and Power Authority.
Late last year HFA limited its role in the CDBG-DR funding when it handed over the day-to-day management of the funds to the territory’s Office of Disaster Recovery. That office administers the grant, working with the various government departments, local non-profits and other entities that receive money for approved projects. However, the office reports to HFA which is still the entity with ultimate responsibility for local oversight.
The high-dollar responsibility is not daunting for Jones.
“In 2005, I worked with FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he said, adding that he knows about disaster recovery.
In announcing Jones’ appointment, HFA board chair and Budget Director Jenifer O’Neal said, “His leadership and vision will undoubtedly steer our organization towards greater heights, furthering our mission of providing affordable housing solutions to the residents of the Virgin Islands.”
