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Annie L. Malone-Frett Out! Retires after over 35 years of public service
While no acting appointment has been made, the Deputy Chief Social Development Officer, Ms Shirma C. George, is in charge of the Department, according to the same source. The job post has been advertised and recruitment is ongoing.
Social issues on the rise
Mrs Malone-Frett, an indigenous Virgin Islander, oversaw the Department at a time when social issues were bursting at the seams in the Territory of some 35 thousand residents.
There has been a growing homeless population, substance abuse, domestic violence and child molestation in the Virgin Islands. Things have gotten even worse, with the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) blamed for an increase in poverty since local elected officials can no longer help the working poor with grants.
The funds were transferred to the Social Development Department and it became hard to access because of the bureaucratic paperwork that turned off many residents who needed legitimate help. This has contributed to an increase in those at the margins falling through the cracks.
After hurricanes Irma and Maria knocked out the housing stocks by some 75% in 2017, there was an increase in the homeless population and others with mental challenges.
Challenges
Mrs Malone-Frett often complained she did not always have the staff and the budget to keep pace with all the social ills and that the policy that the government complained about in getting help for residents was put in place by it.
The Government has done its part in building many social homes for residents free of cost, along with an increase in Public Assistance Grants to the poor.
Mrs Malone-Frett could not be reached for comments on her retirement plans.
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13 Responses to “Annie L. Malone-Frett Out! Retires after over 35 years of public service”
All of them who pass through that department are waste
What is apparent though is that the young were not taught respect for their elders and love for their fellow men. You generation of young people are toxic and out of place. Hopefully you will live long enough to get to a certain age and find out it is not a disease to be aging, nor is it a disease to want to work because you have the energy, education and zeal to do so, to whatever age you feel. Trust me, the years are going by fast and soon you age bashers will be considered old and the same antagonism you are treating others with will be doubled for you as you train your children to be disrespectful and rude to others.