VI HOUSING FINANCE AUTHORITY ANNOUNCES SAFETY PROTOCOLS AND MODIFIED BUSINESS OPERATIONS AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC

ST. CROIX, USVI – In keeping with Governor Albert Bryan’s March 13th state of emergency declaration and additional measures announced by the Governor on March 20, 2020, to prevent the  spread of the COVID-19 infection in the territory, the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority (VIHFA) has implemented safety protocols and temporarily modified its business operations to safeguard the public and its employees from potential exposure to coronavirus. The VIHFA office will remain open, but in-person customer/client contact will be significantly curtailed for the next thirty (30) days beginning March 20, 2020.

As of today, VIHFA is implementing the following safety protocols for the public’s business transactions with its various offices:

• In-person vendor check pickups are immediately suspended. All checks will be mailed to vendors. Vendors will be given wire and direct deposit options through the office of the CFO.

• All vendor quotes and bids must be submitted via mail and email.

• Employment application packages must be submitted via mail and email with all original documents being submitted on a later date as directed by the Human Resources Office.

• In-person Home Buyers Education Classes are suspended until further notice.  However, an online Home Buyers Education Class is available at https://www.ehomeamerica.org/vihfa. In-person interviews and counseling sessions must be rescheduled to phone conferences. Homeownership applications are available on the www.vihfa.gov website.

• Training and conference room rentals are suspended.

• Emergency Housing maintenance and repairs to tenant units are restricted to emergencies only.

Mortgage and Rental Payment Options

The Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority and the Virgin Islands Housing Management, Inc. recommends the use of the following mortgage and rental payment options:

• VIHFA Online payment portal – go to www.vihfa.gov, select pay your bill and read all the instructions before proceeding to make your mortgage payment.  This option gives you 24/7 accessibility to make your mortgage payment online.

• Pay-by-phone – Payments can be made over the phone using your credit card (Visa/ MasterCard/ Discover or Diner’s Club International) by contacting the St. Thomas Office at 777-4432 or the St. Croix Office at 772-4432. 

• Online Bill Pay & Pay-by-Phone – Borrowers or tenants who have a Banco Popular account 24/7 access to make payment from their checking or savings account.  This service can be accessed at www.bppr.com.  This option can be utilized to pay your mortgage payment to VI Housing Finance Authority and rental payments to VI Housing Management Inc (VIHM).

• Direct Debit – Authorize VIHFA or VIHM to electronically withdraw funds from your checking or saving account on a monthly basis.

• Mail-In – Mail your payment and attach the bottom portion of the statement along with a check or money to the mailing address on your statement. Don’t forget to write your account number in the memo section.

• Credit Card Authorization – Electronically pay your mortgage or rent by authorizing VIHFA or VIHM to charge your Visa, MasterCard, Discover or Diners Club International each month.  Payments are withdrawn on the 1st and 15th of the month.

• Payroll Deduction – Employees can voluntarily opt to have a payroll deduction plan by giving written permission to have payment automatically deducted from their paycheck.  This plan is a convenient way to automatically contribute income toward an ongoing expense.  Check with your employer for availability.

# # #