New Survey: Military Families Facing Crippling Housing, Moving Costs

Online survey of over 2,000 respondents by Blue Star Families shows that military families, who move every 2-3 years, face an average of over $6,000 in unreimbursed relocation and housing costs in the first year after a relocation.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Blue Star Families released a new survey that paints a dire situation facing many military families across the country. Conducted from September 16-21 with over 2,200 respondents, the new research shows that a majority of active-duty families are facing serious issues related to lengthy stays in temporary lodging due to a limited housing market and skyrocketing housing costs.

The results showed the following:

• On average, military families face over $6,000 in unreimbursed costs in the first year of relocation alone.
• The survey also found most families (81%) spent more than $2,000 in upfront, move-in expenses once they secured their permanent housing—including necessary non-optional costs such as electricity, internet, or one-time housing costs.
• Nearly half of active-duty family respondents (46%) moving in the past year spent longer than 20 days in temporary housing at their new duty station, but until October 1, 2022, were only reimbursed for the first 10 days. For temporary lodging costs alone, these families reported spending an average of over $2,000 out of pocket and unreimbursed.

"The stories we heard were wrenching, and pervasive. One family told us they ran out of money for hotels after two weeks, forcing them to sleep in their car in the middle of a Texas summer. Others resorted to living in RVs while waiting for military housing to become available. With each new assignment, families told us, any savings they had were wiped out. Many felt forced to settle for expensive or inadequate private rentals, or even to purchase a home when they didn't intend to buy, due to the high costs of remaining in temporary housing," said Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families.

In Lacey, Washington—just 30 minutes from Joint Base Lewis-McChord—the Lacey Veterans Services Hub told Blue Star Families that it has "helped several military members and their families that were either living in their cars or in tents due to the lack of housing in our community." For many of the active-duty families, "the monthly cost of a hotel is on average $1,500 more a month than what they receive as a housing allowance. They now must choose to either not pay their bills, feed their families, or live in their cars."

Congress, the Department of Defense, state lawmakers, and community organizations have all recognized these problems and have taken steps toward solutions, which we applaud, but it's time to take those efforts further. Representative Marilyn Strickland from Washington's 10th congressional district has recognized these efforts:

"Our servicemembers and their families shouldn't spend hundreds of dollars out of pocket to find adequate housing. Last year, I secured language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to direct the Department of Defense (DOD) to evaluate Temporary Lodging Expenses (TLE) and unreimbursed moving costs. This year, I introduced the Ensuring Every Servicemember has a Home package to restore Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and improve BAH calculations. I am pleased that Secretary Austin has begun to address some of these issues, and I look forward to working with Blue Star Families to do more. It's past time to ensure that all servicemembers and their families are safely and adequately housed."

Read the survey findings HERE.

About Blue Star Families
Blue Star Families is the nation's largest grass-roots military family support organization, with a mission to support military families to improve military readiness. Its distinctive approach builds stronger communities around military families through knowledge and programs that address the unique needs of those who serve. Blue Star Families' nationally recognized surveys and analysis give military families an important voice that informs policymakers and its military family programs. It uses the power of its collective resources and cross-sector collaborations to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of members of military families to strengthen the troops, their families, and our nation as a whole. For more information, including the ongoing Blue Star Families Welcome Week events and opportunities to get involved, please visit bluestarfam.org.

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SOURCE Blue Star Families