Bryan-Roach Administration Supports Partnership to Strengthen Critical Infrastructure Serving Vulnerable Children
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS– Governor Albert Bryan Jr. and Lieutenant Governor Tregenza A. Roach, Esq. joined Lutheran Social Services of the Virgin Islands, community leaders and government partners Thursday for the groundbreaking of the new Sister Emma Cottage at the Queen Louise Home for Children in Estate Concordia.
The new cottage will provide a safer, modern and more resilient environment for children with severe physical and developmental disabilities who require specialized care.
Funded through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant, the project is being advanced through a partnership among Lutheran Social Services, the Office of Disaster Recovery, the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority and contractor Custom Builders.
“We talk a lot about rebuilding roads, schools and other major pieces of infrastructure, but this is infrastructure too,” Governor Bryan said. “These are the places where our people are cared for and where organizations like Lutheran Social Services do important work every single day. Government cannot do everything alone, and our Administration has made it a priority to support the community partners doing this work. This investment in Sister Emma Cottage is an investment in these children, their caregivers and the families who depend on these services.”
That commitment also guided the Bryan-Roach Administration’s September 2025 purchase of the Nana Baby Home facility on St. Thomas, helping secure the future of another longstanding nonprofit institution serving vulnerable Virgin Islands children.
“Whether it is rebuilding a facility damaged by the hurricanes or stepping in to help preserve a home like Nana Baby, we are putting resources where they can make a real difference in people’s lives,” Governor Bryan said.
The Sister Emma Cottage project will replace and improve a facility that sustained significant flooding and water damage during Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and has continued to experience water intrusion during heavy rainfall.
“Today’s groundbreaking underscores the impact federal recovery dollars can have not only on infrastructure but also on our community and our efforts to serve vulnerable populations across the Territory,” said Adrienne L. Williams-Octalien, Director of the Office of Disaster Recovery. “This project is a prime example of partnership, purpose and patience. The collaboration among all stakeholders, including contractor Custom Builders, Jacobs Consulting, VIHFA, LSS, HUD and ODR, has brought us to this milestone. I applaud everyone involved in getting us to this point, and I look forward to being here to cut the ribbon in 13 months.”
Sister Emma Cottage was established in 1996 to provide a higher level of specialized care for children with severe physical and developmental disabilities. It was named in honor of Sister Emma Francis, a Lutheran deaconess who devoted nearly four decades to caring for children on St. Croix.
“Sister Emma Francis devoted nearly four decades of her life to caring for children on St. Croix, and the cottage that bears her name carries forward that remarkable legacy of compassion and service,” Lieutenant Governor Roach said. “This groundbreaking is a promise to the children we serve today and to generations of children who will come after them. We are building a facility that honors Sister Emma’s example while giving our caregivers the resources and environment they need to provide the highest level of care.”
A native of St. Kitts, Sister Emma became the first Black deaconess to serve in North America and the first Lutheran deaconess from the West Indies. She served at the Queen Louise Home for nearly 40 years before her passing in 1945.
The groundbreaking begins construction on a modernized Sister Emma Cottage that will strengthen Queen Louise Home’s ability to provide specialized care while continuing the legacy of service established by Sister Emma Francis and generations of caregivers dedicated to the Territory’s children.
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