NORFOLK, Va. — Mold, lead paint, termites, and mice.
You name it. Navy family members living in government and privatized partner housing said they've seen it all.
The top brass have heard the complaints, and they're taking action.
The Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson has ordered that 100 percent of sailors, living in government housing and public-private venture family housing, to be contacted by their commands to see if they are satisfied with their living conditions.
The Wireman family most certainly wasn't satisfied with their new home in Ben Morrell Housing.
They just moved here from California a few weeks ago, and the place was a mess with water damage and mold.
"The bathrooms weren't even clean, there was still dust and stuff on top of the toilet covers," said HM2 Sean Wireman.
His wife Molly wasn't happy.
"We were very upset, angry," she said. "We did not want to live in here at all. We wanted a new place."
The Wiremans aren't alone. A study from the Military Family Advisory Network released earlier this month found that more than half of military families surveyed about their privatized housing reported having a negative experience.
Navy Region Mid Atlantic Admiral Chip Rock pledges his branch will do better.
"Admittedly, we've been too passive as a Navy with our partners," he said. "What I think we've learned over the last couple of years is the importance of government oversight. We can outsource government housing, but we can't outsource our responsibility to our sailors and their families."
The civilian and uniformed leaders of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps will testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 7 on "the chain of command's accountability to provide safe military housing" for service members.
They will get an earful from Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.
"I will guarantee you that there will be some very significant reforms of the military housing issue as part of the Defense Authorization Act that we will pass out of our committee and put on the floor of the Senate," Kaine said.
Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer was scheduled to hold private meetings with local Navy housing tenants on Thursday.
There are 35 of these privatized military housing neighborhoods in Hampton Roads. They are owned by three companies: Lincoln, Hunt, and Balfour Realty.
The Navy said if residents have an issue, their first step is to contact the company. If the problem is not resolved, they can reach out to the immediate chain of command. After that, they should contact the Housing center.
Senators Kaine and Mark Warner wrote Thursday to the Secretaries of the U.S. Navy, Army, and Air Force, asking for detailed information regarding the military’s contracts with private companies to provide on-base housing for military families in Virginia.
Prompted by continuing reports of health hazards including lead poisoning, cockroaches, mice, mold blooms and water leaks, the Senators raised concerns about existing contracts with several private companies that manage thousands of family housing units at military bases across Virginia, and asked each of the services to provide copies of any existing policies and operating procedures meant to hold companies accountable for health and safety failures.
In a news release they said:
“Military families make great sacrifices for our nation and they deserve housing that is safe and healthy. It is crucial that military leaders prioritize the well-being of military families and hold private housing companies accountable for any health hazards or issues.”
The specific contracts and locations for which the Senators requested information include:
- Lincoln Military Housing, a residential real estate management company that provides 36,000 housing units for military families nationwide, including 5,700 units for Navy and Marine Corps servicemembers stationed at Dahlgren, Wallops, Quantico, and throughout Hampton Roads;
- Balfour Beatty Communities, Clark Realty Capital and Hunt Military Communities, which manage military homes for families stationed at Fort Belvoir, Fort Story, Fort Eustis, and Fort Lee; and
- Hunt Military Communities, which manages approximately 1,430 units at Joint Base Langley-Eustis.
In letters addressed to Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer, Secretary of the Army Mark T. Esper, and Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, the Senators asked for:
- Copies of housing contracts with private companies;
- Copies of any service- or department-level guidance and policy documents that relate directly to contracting for on-base privatized housing;
- Any information about any cure notices that may have been sent to contractors regarding failures to adhere to contractual obligations at Virginia installations; and
- Copies of standard operating procedures for responding to and rectifying problems in government-owned housing, such as mold, mildew, lead paint, and other habitability, safety, and health complaints in government-owned housing.
This is not the first time that Sens. Warner and Kaine have taken actions to address concerns with military housing conditions.
In August of 2018, both Senators pressed Secretary Esper to address lead poisoning concerns at a number of Army installations, including Fort Belvoir.
Last November, Sen. Warner asked the Department of Defense to provide a detailed briefing outlining the Defense Department’s plan to ensure the safety of military families residing in both public and private housing.
He also met with Secretary Esper earlier this month to emphasize the importance of prioritizing improvements to military housing conditions. In the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Kaine has called on military leaders and private companies charged with maintaining housing to work together to quickly address these problems.