Opposing view: We're working to ensure safe, quality housing

The health, safety and welfare of service members and their families is a priority for the Department of Defense.

When the Defense Department recognized a need to improve installation housing conditions 25 years ago, it sought ways to leverage private sector expertise and capital through the Military Housing Privatization Initiative.

Since Congress authorized that effort in 1996, the Defense Department has privatized 99 percent of its family housing inventory in the United States — more than 200,000 units at about 150 installations — with competitively selected partners.

The privatized housing projects own, operate, finance, develop and maintain housing for lease to military families. They have invested more than $32 billion to date, constructing nearly 80,000 new homes, significantly renovating more than 50,000 homes, and making repairs and cosmetic improvements to the remainder. They will continue improving the homes throughout the ground lease to remain competitive in the local housing market.

Despite these advances, recent concerns raised by many military families about privatized housing call for immediate attention and underscore a need for greater accountability.

We will work with the military departments and our privatized housing projects to ensure safe, high quality, affordable housing where military families will want — and choose — to live. We will increase opportunities for ongoing, collective communication and improve our responsiveness to concerns as we strive to ensure a positive experience for all military families living in privatized housing.

Having lived in on-base family housing nine times during my activeduty career, I understand how important it is to have safe, quality housing. We honor the sacrifice that military members and their families make to our nation every day. They deserve a safe and secure place to live.

The Defense Department’s greatest asset is our people. We can and will do better.