Long Look Social Home Construction Begins
Construction has started on the Long Look Social Home Complex, a government-led project to provide supervised accommodation and structured support for some of the Virgin Islands' most vulnerable residents. Officials say the solar-powered facility will complement the Safe Haven Transitional Centre, create local jobs during construction and help residents transition back to independent living.
Construction has officially begun on the Long Look Social Home Complex, a new social development initiative sited in the heart of the Long Look community. The project is designed to provide safe, supervised accommodation and structured support for chronically homeless individuals and people facing severe social and economic hardship across the Virgin Islands.
Speaking at a site visit, Honourable Vincent O. Wheatley, Minister for Health and Social Development, described the centre as both practical and compassionate. He said, "This centre will serve several functions, but at its core it provides something very basic and very necessary, a safe place to sleep.
It will operate as a supervised facility working alongside the Safe Haven Transitional Centre to provide temporary accommodations to the vulnerable coupled with structured support programmes to assist their transition back to independent living." Minister Wheatley also noted that the project has already provided local employment during construction and is being designed to run fully on solar and battery power.
Wheatley, Premier and Minister of Finance, emphasised the broader social impact of the development, calling the building "an expression of compassion." He highlighted the symbolic importance of locating the first facility of its kind in the Long Look community, noting the area's history and resilience and the value of involving local people in building and maintaining the centre so they can "take ownership, help maintain it, and ensure it remains a place of dignity and care." Honourable Sharie B. de Castro, Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports and Territorial-at-Large Representative, called the initiative "a doorway back to stability and opportunity," noting that people can fall into hardship through no fault of their own and that the facility offers a pathway to recovery.
Honourable Stacy Mather, Territorial-at-Large Representative, reinforced the point that the centre targets longstanding social issues such as homelessness and represents "a meaningful and necessary step" toward addressing them in a structured, compassionate way. Dion Crabbe, Managing Director of Island Concrete Limited.
Once completed, the Long Look Social Home Complex will complement the existing Safe Haven Transitional Centre by providing the next step toward rehabilitation, reintegration and independent living, strengthening the Territory's social protection framework. The Ministry of Health and Social Development says it remains committed to protecting and promoting the health and social well-being of Virgin Islanders through sustainable programmes and partnerships.
According to the government press release, further details, timelines and operational plans will be announced as construction progresses.
Primary source: BVI Government