V.I. Department of Human Services Commissioner Kimberly Causey-Gomez announced on Monday that DHS Division of Family Services, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food & Nutrition, has been approved for the 2023 summer pandemic electronic benefit transfer.
Announced last week, the approval means one more round of benefits for eligible school children. “It was funded under the Family First Corona Response Act and amended through ARPA,” said Ms. Causey-Gomez. Children from kindergarten through 12th grade who in May 2023 were enrolled in a public, private, or parochial school that participates in the National School Lunch program are eligible for the benefits, which will be automatically uploaded to the SNAP cards of their heads of household. No application is required, Ms. Causey-Gomez said. The program began on August 17.
Those not enrolled in May 2023 will receive a one-time allotment of $139 per child.
Beyond the immediate food support for families, the DHS commissioner revealed plans for substantial construction projects. "We're upgrading and building some state-of-the-art facilities,” Ms. Causey-Gomez said. Prefacing a “more formal announcement” which she said was still to come, Causey-Gomez noted work being done on all three islands, including work on facilities in Cruz Bay on St. John, Bolongo Bay, Lindbergh Bay, the Minetta Mitchell facility on St. Thomas, and Anna’s Hope and Concordia on St. Croix. “We'll continue to keep the community updated on that progress," she assured.
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