In the press release from the Military Family Advisory Network, we shared this information:
The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding an open hearing today, February 13, at 2:30 p.m., on the current state of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI). Military families will be among the witnesses called to testify about the dangerous living conditions in privatized military housing, which include black mold, rodents, mushrooms, lead paint, asbestos, gas leaks, and water contamination.
“Our biggest fear is that not shining a light on this epidemic will lead to a death and to suffering for another military family. When is enough, enough?” said Erica Nichols, a military mother whose daughter’s immune system was damaged by prolonged exposure to black mold in their West Point home.
The Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) submitted a report to the Senate Armed Services Committee for the public record, documenting findings from 40 interviews and nearly 17,000 military-family responses to an MFAN questionnaire on privatized military housing. Top executives from five of the companies most frequently referenced in MFAN’s report will be on the panel called for questioning at today’s hearing.
“Military families should not have to worry about their safety inside their own homes,” said MFAN’s executive director, Shannon Razsadin. “People need to know about the terrible conditions some military families are living in. After 18 years of war, there is a moral obligation to make this right.”
We have some updates from new sources around the country, in response to these brave military families speaking out against this military housing crisis:
From Militarytimes.com:
In the face of reports of retaliation against military families for coming forward about their concerns about living conditions in privatized housing, senators strongly warned that they will not tolerate such reprisals.
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Feb. 13 where military spouses testified, chairman Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., reminded privatized company officials and defense and service officials that the witnesses’ testimony and other communications with the committee are protected communication.
“Any form of reprisal or threat should be immediately reported to this committee and will be immediately referred to the DoD Inspector General for swift action,” Inhofe said.
“Make no mistake — I will take any report of reprisal on military families directly to the secretary and chief of that specific service.”
From wlox.com:
Col. Debra Lovette, 81st Training Wing commander, issued a statement in response to the congressional hearings.
“The health, safety and security of our service members and their families is a top priority here at Keesler Air Force Base. Our members work, live and play in the same communities in which we serve and it’s vital they are happy and healthy. Furthermore, we take all resident complaints very seriously and ensure they are acted upon by Hunt Military Communities and their staff. Additionally, we provide our members support in the form of our Housing Liaison Office, our first sergeants and all members can use their chain of command to report issues they feel are not being properly addressed.”
From Leesvilledailyleader.com:
Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed acknowledged that there is a real problem and said that everyone needs to acknowledge that reality.
He continued to say that everyone needs to work together to to find a solution and ensure that our military have the housing they deserve.
Sen. Reed said that the committee has received “scores of heartbreaking testimonials with equally disturbing photos of rampant mold, poor water quality, contamination with lead based paint, faulty construction in kitchens and other living areas.”
Sen. Reed added that generally, military housing has improved from where it was in the 1990′s when the program began.
However, twenty years later, Reed said, there is a clear disconnect between what has been promised by the contractors as permitted by the Department of Defense and the reality of what has been provided to the military families.
From NPR.com:
Reporter Howard Altman of the Tampa Bay Times tells NPR’s Michel Martin about the shocking state of housing for many military families: privatized housing on bases full of mold and vermin.
MARTIN: You’d mentioned privatized housing. There was a report that came out on Wednesday. It was a survey of nearly 17,000 military families. More than half said that they were dissatisfied with their privatized housing. Now, you mentioned that. How does privatized housing work?
ALTMAN: Well, back in the mid-’90s, the military saw they had a huge problem in their housing – that it was in such bad condition that it would take about $20 billion and several decades to fix. So they turned to private contractors to come in to build housing, manage the housing. And, at the time, it seemed like a good idea. The military is not really in the business of housing people, per se. they’re in the business of providing security for the nation.
From Federalnewsnetwork.com:
At the end of a more than three hour hearing, DoD and companies like Balfour Beatty Communities, Corvias Group and Hunt Military Communities — which build and manage privatized, on-base military housing — had few answers for the nearly 1,100 children living in military housing presenting high lead levels in their blood, families sickened by mold in their homes or service members with toxic chemicals in the air and soil of their living areas. Some of the issues have yet to be remediated by DoD or the management companies.
“I’m infuriated by what I’m hearing today. This is disgusting,” said Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), who is an Air Force veteran. “There are people I hope look themselves in the mirror tonight. Instead of being partners with our troops, to make sure our way of life is kept safe and free, they left military families hanging. They put you in harm’s way. This is so wrong and so angering to many of us.”