military housing office

Military Housing Office - A sign outside the Camp Pendleton Joint Housing Office lists the names of government and private contractors involved in family housing for the base. (Jeff Nyhart/Marine Corps)

Following criticism of how they have maintained the base's premises, five companies have formed a new coalition to protect their interests. And some have increased how much they spend lobbying Congress.

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One of her first actions by this coalition, called the Military Housing Association, was to meet and send letters to congressional staff opposing some of the proposed military housing reforms. That has raised concerns among some advocates, who are already alarmed by the Trump administration's opposition to the changes.

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The Trump administration "strongly opposes" significant changes outlined in the Senate bill, according to its Sept. 4 letter to the Armed Services committees. It specifically points out problems with changing the terms of existing legal agreements with the privatized companies.

Lawmakers heard testimony from military families earlier this year about mold, lead-based paint, water leaks and damage, pests and a host of other problems with their military housing; her frustration at getting her privatized housing company to adjust; and the lack of help from the military in solving their problems. In a survey conducted earlier this year by the Military Family Advisory Network, more than half of the 14,558 privatized residents who responded said they had a negative experience with their housing.

The Military Housing Association, which was formed this year, includes the larger privatized housing companies - Balfour Beatty Communities, Corvias, Hunt Military Communities, Lendlease Communities and Lincoln Military Housing, according to a spokeswoman for the association, who declined to be identified. The companies contacted referred questions to S-3 Public Affairs, an arm of S-3 Group, also an advocacy firm.

The new organization's core mission "is to provide high-quality housing, community amenities and responsive property management to improve the quality of life for service members and their families living in privatized military housing communities," a spokeswoman said in response to questions. about the purpose and focus of the organization and actions that have been taken.

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When the housing problems became apparent, defense and service officials worked with privatized housing companies to immediately address problems. The housing associations have taken a number of steps to improve service, including hiring more staff, adding more subcontractors, finding more transparent and efficient ways to process work requests and listening directly to tenants' concerns through councils and informal forums, a spokeswoman said.

Committee staff contacted by Military Times declined to comment, citing an ongoing negotiation process in which members of the House and Senate reconcile differences in their proposals.

But Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who has been vocal about his concerns about housing for military families, said the result is solving the problem.

Kaine "appreciates the feedback from everyone who will be affected by the proposed changes," Kaine spokeswoman Sarah Peck said. a policy he supports."

New Association Of Privatized Housing Companies Pushing Back On Some Reforms

Some of the proposals would be "legally and virtually impossible to implement," the Trump administration's Office of Management and Budget letter said. The proposals would also make unsubstantiated claims; and, to the extent that the measures themselves can be implemented, they would be "too prescriptive and difficult," officials said.

"The provisions falsely assume that privatized housing units operate as DoD contractors and that legislation can change the terms and conditions of previously entered into legal agreements."

The administration's statement is particularly important, since in reality the legislation would not be able to change the legal agreements entered into with the housing associations, said Eryn Wagnon, director of government relations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States. "As the [Army Comptroller General] put it, these contract structures are a unique challenge for the military and all of the services, and they are very much in the business's favor."

Wagnon also expressed concern that the administration's position could make some MPs afraid to push through important and critical provisions, and that the housing associations' position on key aspects of the bills could also be an obstacle.

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However, Wagnon said, "We are confident that the military commissions will take into account what they heard from the families through the hearings and through depositions and that they are looking out for the families' best interests."

Jury awards family of Marine more than $2 million for mold, health problems in privatized housing. A military family of four was awarded $500,000 each for pain and suffering and emotional distress. The company will appeal.

The Army Housing Authority supports a number of provisions in the bills, such as those requiring tenancy rights, dispute resolution processes and the nomination of housing managers. But they cited objections to six provisions, including one that would allow the military to renegotiate privatized housing contracts at least every five years.

In a position letter to staff members of the House and Senate committees, the Army Housing Agency argued that if the contracts were structured as five-year contracts instead of the current 50-year contracts, it could affect companies' ability for future replacement or new construction and could set a precedent that makes it difficult to get funding from private sources in the future.

Military Housing Office

A search of the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org website indicates that some of the five members of the Military Housing Association have apparently increased lobbying spending this year. For example, Balfour Beatty Communities had increased spending on lobbying for housebuilders from $20,000 in 2018 to spending $120,000 by July 24 this year. But interestingly, Balfour Beatty communities are more than military housing, like other apartment communities and student communities, so it's unclear if there were any military-specific concerns. No lobbying costs were disclosed for 2017.

Lincoln Military Housing has already increased real estate lobbying spending by 57 percent in the first seven months of 2019, compared to all of 2018. They have spent $220,000 through July 24, compared to $140,000 in 2018. No lobbying expenses were reported for 2017.

Corvias Military Living is on track to spend more than what they have spent the last two years lobbying for "diversified defense". They spent $60,000 as of July 24, compared to $120,000 in each of the last two years.

Lendlease Corporation is also on track with last year's numbers, spending $120,000 in the first seven months of 2019 on lobbying for general contractors, compared to $240,000 in all of 2018, and $160,000 in 2017. This company also has a broader portfolio than military housing.

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Hunt Companies is spending less on real estate lobbying this year: $160,000 in the first seven months, compared to $575,000 for all of 2018. In 2017, the company spent $160,000. The company has been named in lawsuits filed by military families at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.

Karen has covered military family, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years and co-authored the chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla. and Athens, Ga.

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