Watchdog report breaks down housing challenges military families face, impacts to national security

WASHINGTON — Rising housing costs have been hitting many military families hard.

A new watchdog report is revealing challenges with affordability and a limited housing supply.

Channel 2 Washington Correspondent Samantha Manning read through the report to bring you the details.

The housing shortage, and cost issues, mean many military families are leaving family members behind in other states, traveling long commutes, and working two jobs to keep up with costs of living, among other measures.

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A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office says the U.S. Department of Defense isn’t doing enough to track these issues. It said military families are the ones most severely affected by a limited housing supply and limited affordability.

Experts say challenges with affording and finding housing for military families can affect the readiness of the military, which affects our national security.

Roughly two-thirds of military service members and their families live in private housing, often in communities near military bases, and use housing allowances to help cover costs.

“The housing market does shift and it shifts quickly and families find themselves caught in the middle sometimes. And they’re not choosing to where they move or when they’re moving,” Shannon Razsadin, CEO of the Military Family Advisory Network, told Channel 2 Action News.

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The network said they’ve been hearing about the issues from concerned military families.

“We’re seeing people live very far outside installations. We’re seeing families share homes with other families. And we’re just really seeing them doing what they can to get by but that has a trickle-down effect that we really have to think about,” Razsadin said.

Advocates warn that there’s a connection between high housing cost burdens and the likelihood of recommending enlisting in military service, a barrier that can affect recruitment and military readiness.

“We have to get this right, we have to make sure that this system is responsive to what people need as far as their housing,” Razsadin said.

In response to the report, the DOD said it agreed with the recommendations from USGAO about how to better track housing affordability and access for military families and is working on making the relevant changes.

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