ANSBACH, Germany -- It is common advice in the Army: Even if you're not in love with a new duty station or assignment, making the best of the situation is the best course of action. This advice is not only meant for Soldiers on duty, but for them and their families at home.
The U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach Housing Office has overhauled a tool to make that possible for those in Army housing. The office completed the Family Housing Handbook and Resident's Guide in November and is now in the process of printing and distributing it.
Although upon seeing an Army document of more than 60 pages, a new resident might hesitate in cracking it open, most of the guide does not read like a set of Army regulations -- nor is it meant to.
The guide includes policies, procedures, tips, contact information, frequently asked questions and an appendix of memos and forms, and targets both future and current residents -- and their families -- who plan to or are now living in Army housing.
Sgt. Maj. Paul G. Hutchings, who serves as the USAG Ansbach Directorate of Public Works sergeant major, led the document's restructuring and said one of the main goals for the redesign was to give residents clear instructions on their responsibilities while living in Army housing, specific ramifications if they fail to follow instructions, and how residents can be good neighbors.
Hutchings said although the previous edition had good aspects, it was too vague and did not provide enough backup to the building coordinators -- those residents charged with ensuring residents were being good members of their housing communities.
"There was a bunch of issues here," Hutchings said. "One, there's no clear guidance for a resident. Two, there was no cause and effect or carrot and stick -- as it were -- for a building coordinator to enforce these rules that really weren't around."
With some help from guides found at Bamberg and Baumholder, and from fellow leaders, Hutchings revamped the guide, giving building coordinators more authority and providing residents clearer consequences.
"The policies and procedures section of the manual was something I dreamed up -- the ticketing program -- so it goes in ascending levels of severity, from just a simple ticket for an offender, all the way up to a possible early return of dependents," said Hutchings.
The system of enforcing the policies and procedures is not meant to be a harsh set of rules designed to catch residents violating regulations; it is instead meant to make good on the responsibility of the Housing Office and fellow community members to be upfront and clear as to what a resident is doing wrong and how they can all be good neighbors, Hutchings said.
Moreover, Hutchings said, it's not necessarily a tool for the command to help the residents develop a sense of community; it's meant as a tool for the residents to develop that sense of community for each other. After all, he said, residents are only hurting other residents when they don't pick up after themselves, for example.
Both Hutchings and Master Sgt. Arthur Schreiner, the housing noncommissioned officer-in-charge, said it's important to keep in mind the guide is not perfect or final.
"People will come in and say, 'Well, the housing guide says this,' as if that's the word according to Gospel," Schreiner said. "Well, it's not. It is a guide, and everything is directed off of Army regulations. People need to understand this guide, if it's not clear enough, then people need to resource the actual regulation or call us for clarity. This is very broad. It would be so thick if we went into intricate detail, covering every aspect of regulation as per housing guidance."
"This is not written in pen; it's written in pencil," Hutchings said. "It's meant to be a living document. If sometimes something doesn't make sense in it, then we can change it -- and I really hope there's a lot. Now, just like any good plan when you're in the military, a plan: you know what that is? Just something to deviate from when the bullets start flying."
In fact, the housing guide has already been challenged. Residents have complained about people smoking on their balconies; however, Hutchings said the regulation is "really clear that you can smoke in your house and on the balcony." Furthermore, Army doctrine says leaders can add to but not take away from the regulations.
"Somebody called me when I first got here and said, 'Hey, my neighbor's smoking and it's bugging me.' The first thing I say was, 'It's a government building. They can't smoke in there. Tell them to get out of their house and 50 feet away from it.' And then I started digging and found out the truth: I'm wrong. … A good resource I put in there is a reference page. So, look, don't believe what the guide says. Look at what the manual has to say. It's a guide to point people in the right direction to basically do the right thing, be a good neighbor and foster a mindset that this is our community."
The idea is to have an annually updated guide in every set of quarters and have sponsors giving them to newcomers. The goal is to help improve the community, but it's a slow change that Hutchings compares to steering an aircraft carrier.
"The helmsman puts the turn in. It doesn't turn like a speedboat. It goes slowly," Hutchings said. "So, we're slowly turning it in the way we need to go. It's going to take time to change that mindset, to turn that aircraft carrier -- because, overall, this is about making it a better community for us."
To learn more about the guide, call 467-2943 or become a fan of "Ansbach Housing" on Facebook. The guide is available online at www.ansbach.army.mil/FlipBook/HousingGuideAnsbach/HousingGuideAnsbach.html.
Editor's note: This is the first part in a two-part series on the new housing guide issued in November from the Housing Office.
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