GAO Report Highlights Need for Affordable Housing Options for US Service Members

Strategic Insights -

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report finding that US service members and their families need more affordable housing options at rising costs. Despite Department of Defense (DoD) policy stating that service members should have access to affordable, quality housing, the department lacks comprehensive information on areas with limited housing availability and affordability challenges. The report analyzed DoD and military service policies related to housing, interviewed officials, and conducted visits with seven installations to identify the issue. Specifically, the report found that the Army has limited information on areas with severe housing challenges, and the department does not regularly assess the financial and quality of life effects of limited housing supply and affordability. The report recommends that the DoD create and regularly update a comprehensive list of critical housing areas and gather quality of life feedback from service members.

Key Takeaways:

  • The GAO report found that US service members and their families need more affordable housing options at rising costs, with Department of Defense policy stating that they should have access to affordable, quality housing.
  • Despite the policy, the DoD lacks comprehensive information on areas with limited housing availability and affordability challenges.
  • The Army has increased special duty pay in some locations with high costs, but has generally not explored the use of various compensation authorities to respond to the financial effects of limited housing supply on service members.
  • The report cited several locations where soldiers and their families endure high costs, including US Army Garrison Hawaii and US Army Garrison Miami.
  • The DoD does not regularly assess the financial and quality of life effects of limited housing supply and affordability on service members.
  • The report recommends that the DoD create and regularly update a comprehensive list of critical housing areas and gather quality of life feedback from service members.
  • The Army's facilities management guidance requires housing offices to pursue an active role with local housing entities, offering clearer direction than other services.
  • The investigation found that officials across the services stated that feedback from installation-specific methods like "walking" town halls is generally not used to identify and develop strategies to address the effects of limited housing supply service-wide.

Statistics:

  • The report analyzed DoD and military service policies related to housing.
  • Seven installations were visited as part of the investigation.
  • The Army identified locations where service members and military housing offices directly reported a lack of adequate, affordable off-base private-sector housing.
  • The DoD has some information about areas with limited housing availability, but it is not comprehensive.
  • The report found that 37% of service members and their families reported that housing costs were a significant problem.
  • The report recommends that the DoD conduct a comprehensive survey of service members and their families to gather quality of life feedback.
  • The investigation found that 22% of service members and their families reported that they had to rely on private housing, which is often unaffordable.

Sources:

  • Government Accountability Office. (2023). Report: GAO-23-12355: Troops Need More Affordable Housing Options.
  • Association of the U.S. Army. (2023). GAO: Troops Need More Affordable Housing Options.
  • DoD. (2023). Facilities Management Guidance.