Statement on Introduction of DoD Housing Feedback System (DHFS)

By Shannon Razsadin, Chief Executive Officer, Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN)

ARLINGTON, VA (August 12, 2024) — Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced the launch of the DoD Housing Feedback System (DHFS), designed to enhance transparency and accountability in privatized military housing. According to DoD, this new system “allows active duty service members and their authorized dependents to submit feedback on their current leased unit, ensuring that their voices are heard and their concerns are addressed in a timely manner.”

This is an important step in a five-year journey to improve military housing — a benefit that more families are counting on as volatility in the housing market persists. MFAN’s most recent survey found that the top reasons for choosing military housing was affordability, the housing market, and lack of available housing off-installation.

MFAN first brought the scale and severity of military housing issues to the forefront in 2019. Following an overwhelming response to our survey on military housing conditions (over 17,000 responses in one week), the nation began to turn their attention to the issue.

While this resource is of incredible value, the communication around it will be critical to ensure families understand how to and not to use it. For instance, our data also show that less than half (45.6%) of respondents were aware of the Tenant Bill of Rights. MFAN looks forward to supporting DoD efforts to build awareness of this new tool.

Privatized housing reform will take time, and MFAN is committed to continuing our research on this topic and working with key stakeholders to make sure families always have a safe place to call home.

Access the DHFS at https://www.dhfs.mil.

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About MFAN:
The Military Family Advisory Network envisions a world where all military-connected families are empowered to thrive. MFAN’s mission is to understand and amplify the needs of military-connected families and inspire data-informed change.