Daryl Griffith was named executive director of the V.I. Housing Finance Authority in August 2017.
The V.I. Housing Finance Authority on Thursday announced that Daryl Griffith, who was named executive director of the authority in August 2017 where he remained for four years and seven months, stepped down Tuesday.
The authority did not give a reason for the sudden announcement, though talk has been circulating for a while that he would be replaced. Mr. Griffith has faced constant criticism for the manner in which a number of Disaster Recovery projects have been managed during his tenure, including the lagging Envision Tomorrow Homeownership Program made available as a result of Hurricanes Irma's and Maria's impact on the territory, and later the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, or ERAP, a program created in response to Covid-19 which has been limping along under Mr. Giffith's leadership.
Dayna Clendinden, recently named chief disaster recovery officer at V.I.H.F.A., was announced today as the authority's interim executive director.
“On behalf of the entire VIHFA team, we thank Director Griffith for his years of dedication and service and wish him success and congratulations on the next steps in his professional journey,” Ms. Clendinen stated. “When I joined VIHFA, I was excited for the opportunity to collaborate closely with Director Griffith in helping to rebuild our territory, and I am excited now to be able to continue this transformational work.”
V.I.H.F.A. says it has undergone a major burst of growth during Mr. Griffith’s tenure, spurred in large part by the addition of almost $2 billion in Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery funding being added to the authority’s management portfolio.
"Even with the addition of these funds, the agency has not lost focus on its purpose and mission," the authority said in a statement. "Earlier this month, in a series of meetings with Housing & Urban Development officials in Washington, D.C., V.I.H.F.A. reiterated its commitment to fixing internal processes and staff training to ensure that the territory maximizes the use of its federal dollars and improves the speed at which those funds are disbursed, driving the successful completion of the dozens of programs in progress."
Ms. Clendinen further stated, "V.I.H.F.A. remains committed to its original mission of unlocking the door to affordable housing in the territory. But, we are also driven to expand that mission by dedicating ourselves to seeing through to successful completion all of the Disaster Recovery programs begun within the last few years. The road ahead is very bright for the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority and the V.I.H.F.A. team and I am excited to continue this critical work for the people of the territory."
According to the authority, at the top of the priority list are: improving efficiency within the Emergency Rental Assistance Program by building capacity and integrating additional technology for processing; making a push under the Envision Tomorrow Homeownership and Rental Programs to clear the backlog of applications in the pipeline and help existing clients complete the process; and finding new opportunities for homeownership, including a “Buy a Lot, Build a Home” initiative that would dedicate money toward development.
