The next is the October Authorities Accountability Workplace report, Army Housing: DOD Ought to Deal with Essential Provide and Affordability Challenges for Service Members.
From the report
What GAO Discovered
The Division of Protection (DOD) doesn’t use its housing assessments to determine a complete record of areas the place service members and their households are most severely affected by housing provide or affordability challenges—or essential housing areas. DOD’s coverage is to rely totally on the non-public sector to deal with service members. DOD officers offered GAO with some details about areas with restricted housing availability from a number of sources throughout the division. Nevertheless, the data offered was not complete, and the analyses don’t account for elements similar to unavailability of items in areas with excessive numbers of trip leases. By figuring out a complete record of essential housing areas, accounting for the distinctive circumstances of assorted areas, DOD could be higher in a position to make knowledgeable housing selections.
DOD collects some info however doesn’t routinely assess the unfavourable monetary and quality-of-life results that restricted provide or unaffordable housing has on affected service members. Throughout GAO visits to chose DOD websites, some service members reported having to tackle debt or commute lengthy distances to afford high quality housing. By persistently acquiring suggestions from service members, DOD could be extra conscious of the extent of the consequences of restricted provide or unaffordable housing on its service members and be higher positioned to determine essential housing areas.
DOD encourages coordination with communities close to army installations on native housing points, however DOD doesn’t have clear steering on how set up management ought to coordinate with native communities on housing. Accordingly, GAO discovered variations within the processes for and the extent to which installations had pursued coordination to handle housing challenges. GAO’s statistical analyses discovered that counties with increased army populations have been related to having increased median rents. Additional, the vast majority of respondents (67 p.c) to GAO’s survey of about 150 native authorities officers from chosen areas close to army installations stated they believed that they had considerably or very unaffordable housing (see determine). If DOD have been to supply clearer steering on coordination with native communities, it may result in higher partnerships that might enhance housing affordability and availability for service members and different residents inside native communities.
Why GAO Did This Research
DOD’s coverage is to make sure that service members and their households have entry to reasonably priced, high quality housing. About two-thirds of service members within the U.S. stay off base in native communities. In recent times, the nation has confronted rising housing prices and more and more aggressive housing markets.
The Joint Explanatory Assertion accompanying the Nationwide Protection Authorization Act for Fiscal Yr 2022 features a provision for GAO to evaluation army housing in areas with restricted housing provide. Amongst different points, this report examines the extent to which DOD (1) assesses the supply of private-sector housing for service members; (2) assesses the potential monetary and quality-of-life results of restricted provide or unaffordable housing on service members; and (3) coordinates with communities surrounding installations on native housing points.
GAO reviewed DOD insurance policies and documentation; interviewed DOD housing officers; held dialogue teams with service members; carried out statistical analyses; and carried out a survey of native authorities officers in areas close to army installations.
What GAO Recommends
GAO is making six suggestions, together with that DOD develops a complete record of essential housing areas, obtains suggestions on results on service members dwelling in such areas, and updates steering on coordinating with native communities. DOD concurred with these suggestions.
Obtain the doc right here.
