The Department of Defense did not comment on whether housing issues have become a retention concern. This is just another tick in the box that’s like, ‘Why would I join the military?’ And if you don’t have enough numbers, that’s a long-term national security problem.”
“People are feeling abused by the military in so many different areas - the sexual assault issues, the lack of attention to medical care, the lack of attention to mental health. “If you can’t afford your job, why the hell would you stay in the job?” Needham said.
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Want to stay up to date with the latest federal news and information from all your devices? Download the revamped Federal News Network app Needham argues that the discrepancy between military housing allowances and the current market should alarm officials who are already struggling to recruit the next generation.
In that span, according to real estate company Zillow, rents have skyrocketed 43.9% in those markets: Carlsbad, California Colorado Springs, Colorado El Paso, Texas Killeen, Texas, and Tacoma, Washington.Īnd because of how tough off-base markets are, on-base housing has become a hot commodity, with many bases having long waitlists. Reports of the housing squeeze military families face has alarmed members of Congress, who are pushing legislation that would force the Department of Defense to rethink how it handles housing.Ī common complaint is that with rents soaring nationwide, the housing allowances, which vary by rank and are recalculated annually, haven’t kept pace with rental markets, even though they’re supposed to cover 95% of rental costs for the approximately two-thirds of active-duty personnel who, like the Martins, have to live off base.Īccording to a data analysis by The Associated Press of five of the most populous military bases in the U.S., housing allowances across all ranks have risen an average of 18.7% since January 2018. Needham’s group supplies microgrants to military families in need, some of whom have resorted to food banks because their salaries do not cover such basics.
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“I don’t think civilians really understand - they might think we’re living in free housing and just having a great time, making lots of money. “We have families coming to us that are on exorbitantly lengthy waiting lists and sitting in homes that they can’t afford, like an Airbnb rental, or they’re at a hotel or camping in tents or living in RVs,” said Kate Needham, a veteran who co-founded the nonprofit Armed Forces Housing Advocates in May 2021. That’s forced many to settle for substandard homes, deal with extremely long commutes or pay thousands out of pocket they hadn’t budgeted for. But, amid record-breaking spikes in rent, the Department of Defense has neglected its commitment to help military families find affordable places to live, service members and housing activists say. Housing has long been a major benefit for service members, a subsidy to salaries that trail the private sector. I cannot imagine the struggles (they) are going through.” “It’s affecting us personally but then I think about how we were a junior enlisted family at one point. “We’ll probably be here two or three years, so that could be $20,000 that we’re paying out of pocket above BAH just for rent,” Martin said after completing her family’s fourth move in 15 years last month. And, at $4,200 per month, their rent was nearly $700 more than the monthly basic allowance for housing, known as the BAH, that her husband, a lieutenant, receives. They’d have to start paying rent a month before they actually moved.
More than 30 rental applications later and hundreds of dollars in application fees down the drain, the Martins finally found a home.īut there were caveats. “I was looking at it midday, before I went to bed. “I was waking up and the first thing I was doing was looking at properties,” Martin said. This ebook takes a look at efforts across government to hit net-zero milestones and how OMB will measure success. Insight by KPMG: Agencies are embracing sustainability on multiple fronts as they work to mitigate climate risks and meet the administration’s environmental goals.