FORT BENNING, Ga., (July 15, 2015) -- The Villages of Benning, the privately owned housing company in charge of leasing the roughly 4,000 houses on post, announced in early May they would open on-post housing to retired service members, widowed spouses and Department of Defense and Federal Agency civilians who work at Fort Benning.

"We are not the first installation to do this," said Heather Bearden, marketing coordinator for the Villages of Benning. "Several installations have already started this process."

With recent DOD cutbacks, the decision to open housing to more than just active-duty Soldiers was made to help offset lack of occupancy and to meet a growing demand.

Bearden said convenience was a huge factor in opening up the houses to civilians.

"I think at this time the selling point, especially for those who we are opening it up to right now, is the convenience factor," Bearden said. "A lot of retirees are interested in living on post to have that heritage, and to be close to the facilities they use - the Post Exchange, the commissary, and the clinic at the new Benning Martin Army Community Hospital.

"Those are places they frequently visit. And with the other jobs, it saves them the hassle of the drive every single morning - with the new policies at the gate it saves time, and being able to go home for quick lunch instead of a 30 minute drive," she said.

Bearden also discussed the current downsizing of the Army, and the plan that the Villages of Benning has in place in case those numbers start to rise again.

"Right now we are downsizing, but that could change. If it does change, we actually have a cap on it; so if a certain neighborhood is occupied up to 93 percent then we would only allow active-duty military to live there because our first priority is the service member and their Family. So we always make sure we have room for them."

The Villages of Benning has opened several housing options to the civilians including the Custer duplexes, Indianhead Village, MacDonald Village and Bouton Heights Village.

The cost is $1,278 a month, which was determined by averaging all of the basic allowance for housing that Soldiers in the participating villages receive, Bearden said.

That price includes rent, electricity, water, trash and landscaping. Internet and cable are not included. The lease is for 12 months, and breaking the lease requires a 60-day notice and the equivalent of one month's rent.

The Villages of Benning are also very pet friendly, and do not have a pet fee or pet deposit for the first two pets

There are breed restrictions, but no monthly rental rates for pets.

"We are very excited to offer this," Bearden said. "I think we have several options that would accommodate anyone looking for a place on post. It's a great opportunity to be close to where you work, to go home and avoid the hassle of the gate, and experience on post living."

So far, roughly 10 houses have been filled by civilians with more expected to fill up in July.

For more information, call 706-685-3939 or visit www.villagesofbenning.com.