{"id":36564,"date":"2019-04-25T21:49:28","date_gmt":"2019-04-25T21:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/04\/25\/marine-corps-doesnt-specify-privatized-housing-data-in-recent-living-condition-query\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:03:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:03:12","slug":"marine-corps-doesnt-specify-privatized-housing-data-in-recent-living-condition-query","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2019\/04\/25\/marine-corps-doesnt-specify-privatized-housing-data-in-recent-living-condition-query\/","title":{"rendered":"Marine Corps doesn\u2019t specify privatized housing data in recent living condition query"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In an effort to find out how its personnel with dependents feel about their housing, the Marine Corps recently launched an effort to visit homes and assess the conditions. But family advocates are questioning why more information isn\u2019t being provided about Marines\u2019 conditions in privatized housing specifically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials can\u2019t provide information about how many of those Marines who requested visits were living in privatized housing. Their outreach effort included Marines living off base as well as in privatized housing — and Marine reservists. And since about 70 percent of active duty Marines live off base, and virtually all Marine reservists live off base, these numbers can\u2019t be attributed solely to privatized housing landlords. Marine Corps leaders were able to reach 99 percent of Marines with families in their effort to find out more about the scope of housing problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But issues raised in recent months by military families<\/a> and in media reports have centered around privatized housing companies that operate most military housing now. Families have testified about mold, lead paint, termites, mice and other issues, and their frustrations with trying to get their privatized housing company to fix their problems. They\u2019ve also said they\u2019ve gotten no help from the military when they asked for intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So over the last two months, defense and service officials have taken steps to determine the scope of the problem<\/a>, get families\u2019 health and safety<\/a> housing problems addressed quickly, and strengthen the military\u2019s oversight over the privatized housing companies in the long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy and the Marine Corps have been contacting every sailor and Marine to give them the opportunity to request a home visit to raise the awareness of the services about their conditions. The Marine Corps commandant went a step further, requiring commands to also contact Marines living in off-base civilian housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But information about whether the requests for home visits came from Marines on base, or off base wasn\u2019t reported to Marine officials, said Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Joe Butterfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe same level of attention and support was provided to those who had concerns about their housing off base as those who in [privatized] housing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marine Corps commands have reached more than 99 percent of Marines and other service members assigned to Marine units, to offer home visits to see their housing conditions. Of those more than 91,000 who were contacted, nearly 7,000 Marines, or 7.6 percent, requested home visits by their command, and nearly 7,800, or 8.5 percent, requested phone calls to explain the process for resolving their concerns. The remaining 76,000-plus service members, or 84 percent, declined a visit or phone call.<\/p>\n\n\n\t