Army housing improves with continued investments

By U. S. ArmyOctober 15, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy and Commanding General, Army Materiel Command, Gen. Edward M. Daly, met Wednesday, Oct. 14, with private housing companies, financial investors and institutions, and bond rating agencies to discuss increasing investments in Army privatized housing.

“We owe it to Soldiers and their Families to ensure they receive quality housing. Today’s meeting was a significant step forward in securing additional private financing to improve Army housing across the country,” McCarthy said.

As part of the discussions, private housing companies are on track to invest up to an additional $2.8 billion for Army housing over the next five years. These investments will result in 3,800 new homes and nearly 18,000 renovations of homes at Army installations.

Building new homes and making renovations on existing homes is only one of the ways the Army is improving housing for its Soldiers and their Families. Cooperation between the Army and private companies has led to significant initiatives to improve Army housing, including:

  • The hiring of more than 100 additional staff at installation housing offices to provide quality assurance and control checks on work done in homes.
  • The revision of incentive fee metrics to ensure private housing companies are accountable for proper maintenance of homes and customer service.
  • Approval from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation authorizing the Army and private housing companies to more effectively repair, rehabilitate, and renovate over 3,200 historic housing units from the inter-war era (1919-1940).
  • The creation of mobile apps as an additional way for residents to submit and track work orders.
  • The establishment of a Housing Environmental Health Response Registry to address housing health or safety concerns.
  • Training Army commanders and leaders on their role in ensuring quality homes for Soldiers and their Families.
  • Quarterly town hall meetings at every installation to share updates on housing initiatives and improvements and hear residents' concerns.
  • 24-7 housing hotlines to assist with issue resolution at every installation.
  • Revisions to the Army Portfolio and Asset Management handbook, which provides updated guidance on the oversight and management of privatized Army homes.

The Army remains focused on investment and reinvestment strategies to ensure long-term viability and quality housing, and to make installations the number-one residential choice for Soldiers and their families. With proper oversight and accountability, the Army maintains that privatization of housing remains in residents’ best interest.