{"id":117037,"date":"2019-11-19T17:43:19","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T17:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/11\/19\/heres-how-this-general-is-working-to-fix-mold-and-other-housing-problems\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:57:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:57:47","slug":"heres-how-this-general-is-working-to-fix-mold-and-other-housing-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2019\/11\/19\/heres-how-this-general-is-working-to-fix-mold-and-other-housing-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s how this general is working to fix mold and other housing problems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army Gen. Gus Perna has been digging deep into details of privatized housing operations, working to fix <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/2019\/02\/13\/more-than-half-who-took-survey-are-dissatisfied-with-military-privatized-housing\/\" target=\"_blank\">problems<\/a> like mold and rodent infestation that have plagued some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/2019\/11\/13\/mold-rotting-wood-water-leaks-10-military-families-sue-their-privatized-landlord\/\" target=\"_blank\">families<\/a> living in the houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m a battle rhythm person. I don\u2019t believe in handling things [just] when they become emergencies. My goal is to set foundations, and then you can be adaptive and agile to emergencies,\u201d Perna said, in a recent interview with Military Times. \u201cAnd you can\u2019t be innovative if you can\u2019t do your core tasks well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perna, who is commanding general of Army Materiel Command, was tasked earlier this year by Army leaders with the mission of fixing the Army\u2019s privatized housing problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As problems with mold, lead paint and other health and safety issues in military privatized housing have gotten the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/investigates\/special-report\/usa-military-construction\/\" target=\"_blank\">national spotlight<\/a> over the last year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/2019\/10\/16\/here-are-army-leaders-lessons-learned-from-housing-problems\/\" target=\"_blank\">officials in the services<\/a> and in privatized housing companies have vowed to address the problems quickly. Service officials have hired more personnel for installation housing offices, have drafted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pay-benefits\/2019\/03\/07\/service-secretaries-tenant-bill-of-rights-will-protect-and-empower-residents-of-privatized-housing\/\" target=\"_blank\">tenant bill of rights<\/a> which should be finalized soon, are addressing lack of response to work orders, and are working to develop common leases, among other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Behind the scenes, Perna\u2019s work is extensive, drilling down to get more information, and making key decisions regarding the housing communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some have expressed sympathy that he has been given this mission, Perna said. To that, he replies, \u201cNo, it\u2019s a great mission. It\u2019s a great mission for our Army. It\u2019s going to improve Army readiness. The soldiers and families deserve it, and we want them to have confidence&#8230;.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s the right attitude, said Darlena Brown, an Army wife who is founder and president of the Military Housing Advocacy Network. \u201cThat\u2019s a great response. We need that mentality. This really affects our readiness. We need a senior leader. We need the military to be providing leadership. This is a great start. At least one branch of service has recognized the need for this and is pushing forward.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army senior leaders\u2019 action to put a commander in charge was a big step, and sends a message about their commitment to ensuring that Army housing gets on the right track \u2015 and stays on track, Perna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe difference is, a commander is responsible. I\u2019ve been designated. And it\u2019s not Gus Perna \u2013 it\u2019s the four-star position in Army Materiel Command that will sustain into the future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While there has been a lot of attention given to upcoming tenant bill of rights, Perna doesn\u2019t want service members and families to have the wrong impression \u201cthat we\u2019re going to publish this and all of a sudden it\u2019s going to be Disney World,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the foundation that we reference in our execution to achieve our goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That execution means establishing a battle rhythm with installations and with privatized housing companies to first fix the immediate problems, but also to set processes in place to ensure the houses are fixed, maintained, renovated and replaced as needed so that the communities endure for the next 20, 30, 40 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s what the privatization initiative was intended to do in the late 1990s and 2000s, when it was started. Previously, many military family houses had become dilapidated because the services weren\u2019t maintaining their stocks of military family housing, resulting in many of the same problems we\u2019re seeing today. Instead of using funds intended for maintenance and refurbishing, service officials were using funds for other purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2019\/10\/31\/for-some-military-families-the-discovery-of-mold-is-only-the-beginning-of-their-troubles\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Bright-Move-In.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">For some military families, the discovery of mold is only the the beginning of their troubles<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Military families who have had to move out of their privatized housing due to mold and other health and safety issues say these displacements bring a whole new level of frustration.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some of his actions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>1<\/b>. <b>Monthly (at least) conversations<\/b> <b>with the CEOs of the seven companies involved with the Army\u2019s privatized housing.<\/b> \u201cIt\u2019s a conversation with me, it\u2019s locked on my calendar, that they have adjusted to. We go down a pretty good laundry list of good and bad things,\u201d he said, adding it\u2019s a two-way conversation and sometimes the CEOs have asked for his help on issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That engagement is making a difference to local installation commanders, who don\u2019t have the authority to direct a company to take action. For example, Fort Belvoir garrison commander Col. Michael Greenberg told Military Times recently that Maj. Gen. Omar Jones, commanding general of Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region\/Army Military District of Washington, takes a proactive role in working with their privatized housing company, Clark Realty. They send their comments to Perna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI know I communicate the messages up, and I get feedback back down saying they\u2019ve discussed it,\u201d Greenberg said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>2. Focusing on getting maintenance work orders done. <\/b>Perna takes a hard line on life, health and safety issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re not going to have families and soldiers in harm\u2019s way. Period,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to take a very tactical approach, and we\u2019re going to solve this work order lack of confidence issue with our families,\u201d Perna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For work orders for correcting maintenance problems affecting life, health and safety, \u201ctime will not lapse. Twenty-four hours. Immediate action,\u201d Perna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army has hired inspectors to do quality assurance inspections, and they\u2019re checking 100 percent of the work related to life, health and safety matters, Perna said. In addition, he said, \u201cI told those [company CEOs] they are going to hire people to do the work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis crap about sending somebody out to say, \u2018Oh yeah, you do have a water leak. Set up another work order and we\u2019ll get somebody out here who knows what you\u2019re talking about\u2026 No way. We\u2019re going to get the right people out to do the right work. And we\u2019re going to hold them accountable to timelines and execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo hire the right people. Get them hired now.\u201d Perna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All seven of the Army\u2019s privatized housing company partners have improved in their responses to work orders related to life, safety and health, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These Army-hired inspectors are also checking 100 percent of houses between occupancy. \u201cThis is so important. If we can get the family moved into a home where everything has been fixed, and they don\u2019t have to walk in with a leaky faucet, an air conditioner that doesn\u2019t work, mildew already, only to have to put in a work order on Day 1, look at how much confidence we instill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They\u2019re not perfect yet in these between-occupancy inspections, he said, especially at installations where there\u2019s a compressed, high number of summer rotations such as Fort Leavenworth, Carlisle Barracks and Fort Bliss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For work orders in general, right now Army housing personnel are generally spot-checking about 5 percent of the work after it\u2019s been done, he said. Officials are in the process of determining the right mix in terms of number of inspections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brown said she\u2019s hearing from families in the field that not every house is being inspected before a new family moves in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey might be attempting to, but it\u2019s not the case in all places,\u201d she said. Brown said she sees cases where families move out because of problems, but new families move in to the homes without remediation being done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, many families have told her that work orders are being closed out as being completed, but the work wasn\u2019t done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>3. Changing the process for awarding incentive payments. <\/b>\u201cWe restructured what we\u2019re going to look at and what percentages of the category we\u2019re going to apply to the decision making,\u201d Perna said. At the end of each quarter, the recommendations are made, up through the chain of command, but Perna makes the final decision, he said, \u201cbased on what I hear, what I read and what I see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Previously, garrison commanders could decide whether or not to give a performance incentive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt became very personality based,\u201d Perna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Privatized housing companies may be rewarded with incentive fees if their performance merits it. But there has been widespread criticism of the process, which appeared to pay fees to privatized housing companies even when critical work orders were languishing for far too long, and families\u2019 concerns about mold in their houses were going unanswered by companies on the installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>4. Making sure money is reinvested in the right places. <\/b>Perna now reviews all the companies\u2019 plans for reinvesting in the communities. Companies submit these plans detailing how they intend to build, renovate or take other actions. His first step was finding all these plans, located at various places such as the Pentagon, or with Army installation officials, or with the companies themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe had to standardize the forms, make sure we had the right people looking at them, had to get my lawyers involved in them. That\u2019s just me. I had to lock down timelines, standards, all of that. We just did that for the first lap. Now we have a good system in place, and we will drive accordingly,\u201d Perna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, a privatized housing company might say it\u2019s planning to build five new houses on an installation, but Perna might question that reinvestment, perhaps because there are 20 houses at that base that need some major repair work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou\u2019ve got to look at the installation they\u2019re responsible for holistically,\u201d he said. If he questions a plan, he calls the company CEO and asks questions about the reasoning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat\u2019s good about these partnerships is that they are truly the experts at developing and producing communities like this. \u2026 But it\u2019s about how do we have the conversation? We should not abdicate our responsibility just to them.. .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s why a commander was designated. So now, it\u2019s a combination of everything. It\u2019s my responsibility to our soldiers and families as a commander. It\u2019s about the standards and discipline in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>5. Making sure companies are listening to residents. <\/b>Perna has told the CEOs he wants their work forces to be out in the communities, talking to residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI need your work force recognizable in the community. I want you to solicit and get their ideas how to improve the community, whether it\u2019s a doggie park, a community center, widened streets, more lights. You\u2019re going to be involved and get their voices,&#8221; Perna said. \u201cI want the spouses involved. I want the community to be involved in how we improve it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He&#8217;s staying on top of companies to make sure the work is getting 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