Readout of Military Housing Roundtable 2022 Q4 Meeting

The Military Housing Roundtable (MHR) held its final quarterly meeting of the year on November 2, 2022. Here are the takeaways:

Heard on the Hill

A military legislative assistant for U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (NC) provided updates around military housing, including:

• Fort Bragg Housing Roundtable – Senator Tillis and staff visited Fort Bragg in late October to discuss the installation’s facilities with Soldiers and spouses that have been affected by inadequate housing. Tillis toured the recently vacated Smoke Bomb Hill Barracks and conducted a briefing with senior Army leadership on Fort Bragg. He also met with spouses, community leaders, and installation representatives to solicit their input.
• Military Housing Readiness Council Act – In August, Senator Tillis helped introduced bipartisan legislation that would ensure oversight and accountability on safe housing conditions for service members and military families.
• Senate Armed Services Committee – The committee brought the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to the Senate floor for deliberation in early October. A number of highlights in the Senate version of the annual defense bill prioritize service members’ access to quality housing, like extending the authority to adjust the basic allowance for housing in high-cost areas and encouraging DoD to coordinate efforts to address housing shortages. This will be a must-pass bill by December 31.

Learn more about Senator Tillis’ focuses for military and veterans on his website.

Army Housing research

On September 1, the U.S. Army announced results of the 2022 annual housing tenant satisfaction survey. The Director of Installation Services for the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff, G-9 briefed the group on the research findings and how the Army is using the results as a tool to improve housing conditions and experiences.

Key Findings:

• There is a slight decrease in customer satisfaction for residents of privatized, government-owned and government-leased housing on Army installations.
• Survey respondents identified issues related to maintenance services – including response times, communication, follow-up and long-term solutions – among their top concerns.

Additional information on the survey may be found on the U.S. Army Quality of Life microsite. The Army has also launched the 2023 survey, which will be open from October 25 to December 16.

Participant Spotlight

Staff from The American Legion, the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, shared how the organization is reinvigorating their membership by focusing on quality of life issues. Learn more about the Legion’s moving and relocation services, combatting veteran homelessness, temporary financial assistance, community programs, and more at legion.org.

BACKGROUND

Funded by Wells Fargo, the Military Housing Roundtable convenes housing leaders and advocates and builds on best practices to develop and recommend policy and programmatic solutions. The MHR currently consists of more than 35 public and private organizations with a vested interest in ensuring affordable, equitable, and safe housing for military and veteran families.

To learn more, recommend a discussion topic, or submit a presentation request, contact Derek Doyle at doyle@mfan.org.