Serious mold, lead paint and other safety concerns have been raised by residents. Image: Burdun Iliya/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffWhile the GAO is urging the services to determine if BAH rates are suitable, the Army is addressing serious quality-of-life issues relating to housing. The service is mid-way through a five-year plan to improve family housing on 49 installations.
The Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) reported Jan. 25 that the plan is focusing on units that were privatized more than 20 years ago, as a response to a litany of complaints residents have provided.
Budget constraints and mission requirements contributed to a scenario over time, in which housing was allowed to languish. Serious mold, lead paint and other safety concerns grew worse.
The impetus to address the issue began in earnest in 2019, AUSA reported, when lawmakers on Capitol Hill responded to residents’ tales of woe by posing sharp, related questions to leaders from the Army and other services.
The report stated that the Army has since established a task force headed by a lieutenant general, aimed at implementing a “culture change” that ultimately would address all of the problems associated with privatized family housing.
