Over 20 families shared their experiences, both positive and negative, with Army housing and its privatized partner with installation leaders during a productive quarterly housing town hall March 19 at Blaze Theater and Pizzeria on Fort Stewart.
Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield Deputy to the Garrison Commander Steve Hood said these town halls are important as they allow the installation partners to share information and residents to ask questions and for everyone to work together to solve problems.
A major emphasis for the Army Housing Office and its privatized partner, Balfour Beatty Corporation, was highlighting the importance of Soldiers and families completing the Housing Tenant Satisfaction survey.
Fort Stewart Housing Chief Jenn Hudson said the survey is an important tool for Soldiers and families to inform the Army about their housing experience.
“This survey is on behalf of the Army. They want to know your feedback, your experience, what your perception of your experience in Army housing is to you,” Hudson said.
As of March 14, the installation had received 6% of the surveys, and Hudson stated her office is hoping to exceed the 16% feedback rate from last year’s survey. Residents have until April 18 to complete the survey.
Resident feedback to our privatized partner focused on improved pest control solutions and trash pickup. Central to many of the constructive comments was better communication was needed between BBC and the resident in detailing the status of work orders and follow-up with the residents.
Another proposal was raised by Belinda Bault, a spouse in the Coastal Ridge housing area. She proposed publishing a master list of all the digital media community pages in one central area.
“I did not know about (the Coastal Ridge community page) until I got here. That would have given me an in with my peers to start asking questions or start contacting mayors and community members where I’ll be living,” Bault said. “A junior spouse wants to talk with their peers, not me. I think we’re underutilizing some of these resources.”
“The big thing we talked about tonight was resources,” said Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Ely Capindo. “We’re trying to fix that with our sponsorship as well. Soldiers that come on orders to Fort Stewart we try to engage them early. We have the resources available, it’s just a matter of bridging the gap.”
The meeting closed with a discussion about reinstating post-wide yard sales.
“This is really good feedback,” Capindo said. “We want to make sure those families are taken care of as they start to transition. It’s already stressful enough for them trying to figure out where they’re going to live, whether they live on-post or off-post.”
Tenants who do not receive the survey email from ArmyHousingSurvey@celassociates.com should contact their local garrison housing offices for assistance.
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