WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are working on legislation aimed at boosting oversight of privatized military housing. The efforts come as a new report highlights problems that families are experiencing in military housing.
- The plan includes $301 million for oversight efforts plus a 'Tenant Bill of Rights'.
- The MFAN recently released a new report highlighting issues with privatizing military housing.
- Many respondents at both Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune described experiencing maintenance issues or mold problems at their homes.
The plan - added to the annual defense bill by the Senate Armed Services committee - includes $301 million for oversight efforts plus a 'Tenant Bill of Rights,' according to a summary released by the committee.
The committee voted 25-2 last week to send the legislation to the full Senate for consideration.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, who is on the committee, said military housing amounts to a force readiness issue.
“It’s not just about the condition of that house - it also affects the condition of the man or woman in uniform,” Tillis said. “You can’t go away knowing that you’ve left your family with that situation, and think that that’s not a distraction that makes them less safe.”
Shannon Razsadin, the executive director of the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN), said they consider the Senate proposals a step in the right direction. However, she said they will be watching to make sure there is accountability.
“A 'Tenant Bill of Rights' is great, but needs to have some teeth so it can be upheld,” she said.
A spokeswoman for the Pentagon says military departments and their housing privatization partners are also currently crafting their own version of the ‘Tenant Bill of Rights.'
The MFAN recently released a new report highlighting issues with privatizing military housing. The report is based on feedback they received from roughly 16,000 military families from across the country.
According to the report, many respondents at both Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune described experiencing maintenance issues or mold problems at their homes.
In one anecdote, a Fort Bragg resident wrote that the “mold is going through the walls and water is under the carpet and has ruined baseboards.”
At Camp Lejeune, a resident described leaky roofs, saying that they routinely had to “put out pots and pans to collect the water."
“Families are dealing with issues they should never have to deal with,” Razsadin said. “People are paying for these homes, so these aren’t a handout. And they are not in many cases getting what they are paying for. So we need to fix this.”
Asked to respond to the MFAN study, Heather Babb, a spokeswoman for the Department of the Defense, said in a statement that the "DOD remains confident that privatizing housing was the right thing to do.”
“We also recognize there has been a lapse in overseeing implementation of DOD's housing privatization program,” she wrote. “DOD is also working with the Military Departments and their housing partners to increase ongoing, collective communication with residents and to improve responsiveness to concerns as we strive to ensure a positive experience for all military families living in privatized housing.”