WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army released today a report from its Inspector General on privatized housing on Army installations. The report was directed by Army leadership in February 2019 to determine the effectiveness, responsiveness and quality of privatized housing.
"This IG report -- along with results from our recent housing surveys, town hall meetings and other feedback mechanisms -- will be used to continue our ongoing efforts to improve the quality of life for our Soldiers and their families," said acting Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy.
Research for the report, which is titled "Department of the Army Inspector General Special Interest Item Assessment of the Residential Communities Initiatives (RCI)," included 116 sensing sessions with housing residents, 1,180 resident surveys, 1,023 document reviews, and 227 interviews with garrison commanders and housing personnel. In it, the inspectors identify 10 key findings and provide 20 recommendations to address them.
Most of the recommendations in the report are already being addressed by the Army, and a few have already been completed. For example, the Army has already added 114 additional employees to various installation housing staffs, established classes to further educate senior commanders and garrison commanders, leveraged existing property-management portals that allow residents to track work-order histories and maintenance issues, established 24-7 telephone hotlines at all installations, conducted housing satisfaction surveys, and is working with the other services to develop a joint Tenant Bill of Rights.
Other efforts include revising the Army's RCI Portfolio and Asset Management Handbook, refining the roles and responsibilities of senior commanders, entering the privatized housing inventory into the Army's Real Property databases, rewriting RCI report templates, establishing a housing campaign plan in April 2019, reviewing business agreements with privatized housing companies, and reworking incentive-fee structures.
The Army is committed to ensuring quality housing and continued oversight in the future.
"We continue to drive change and remain steadfast in holding ourselves and privatized housing companies accountable to provide safe and secure housing on our installations," said Gen. Gus Perna, commanding general of Army Materiel Command.
The full report is available at https://www.army.mil/e2/downloads/rv7/families/releaseable-housing-inspection.pdf.
For more information, contact Lt. Col. Crystal Boring at crystal.x.boring.mil@mail.mil or 703-693-6477.
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