NORFOLK, Va. — Senator Mark Warner said he is "flabbergasted" by the lack of progress in the nation's military housing crisis.
Warner's remarks came after an hour-long session with more than a dozen local tenants who are still having major problems with shoddy housing units.
"These men and women in the military give their lives in service of the country and I think the way they're treated is appalling," said Navy wife Holly Ward, a former resident of the Wadsworth Shores neighborhood.
Ward described her situation:
"We showed up to move into our move-in ready house according to Lincoln [Military Housing], and we found mold, holes in the wall, fence slats missing, broken toilet, light switches broken, peeling paint, doors that wouldn't close... and this was a 'move-in ready' house," she said.
Resident after resident spoke out about the indifference they have encountered over perpetual problems in their privatized military housing units.
Navy wife Rachael McClain described how property managers at Ben Moreell Housing responded to her concerns: "And they kept telling us, 'It's not mold, it's not mold.' OK, well, what is it? Because all the tests show that it is," she said.
Finally, McClain said, she just had to get out.
"We ended up taking out a loan to get out of Lincoln because they refused to fix any of their issues," she said.
The Commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic vowed to get it right.
"There is no doubt that we owe you better," said Rear Admiral Chip Rock. "And we owe you better faster."
But most of the tenants' wrath was reserved for the President and CEO of Lincoln Military Housing, which manages the properties for the Navy.
All that one resident wanted -- but didn't get -- was a simple apology.
13News Now asked Bliss, "How hard would it be to just say, 'I'm sorry?'"
He replied, "Well, certainly here are circumstances where we're sorry that things have happened. So we work hard to make sure that we fix those issues. Some are complicated but I think we work hard to address those issues when they arise."
After weeks of massive media scrutiny and hearings on Capitol Hill, military leaders promised to implement reforms to correct the problems.
But after Thursday's hearing at the Slover Library, Warner said he was dissatisfied with Lincoln, and the Navy.
"I'm flabbergasted," he said. "Both the Navy and Lincoln Military Housing knew this meeting was coming and they didn't come with more answers."
Warner said he won't hesitate to come back in another six weeks to gather more testimony from residents, Lincoln and the Navy.
He said if he's still unhappy, he'll seek legislative remedies in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act.
Warner added, "This kind of status quo cannot stand."