Vance AFB in line with housing ideas

Published Jan. 17, 2007
By SrA Amanda Mills
Public Affairs

Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- Vance Air Force Base is "living the picture" portrayed in Gen John Jumper's July 6 Chief of Staff of the Air Force Sight Picture.
"Our current housing project is right in line with what General Jumper wants of the Air Force," said Col Fred Cheney, 71st Mission Support Group commander. The 54 homes recently demolished here were under military construction programs, but currently in the works are an additional 175 privatized homes. The privatization project is scheduled to conclude in 2007.
"The foundation of our Air Force is our people," General Jumper said in his Sight Picture. "Caring for them and their families remains one of our highest priorities. One way we're making good on that commitment is by providing safe and affordable housing.
"Through privatization, increases in the basic allowance for housing and a new dorm standard, we are combating the problems of inadequate housing. There is a myth out there that the new ways of doing business mean that we have abandoned our commitment to ensuring all Air Force members have access to adequate and affordable housing. Let me assure you that nothing is further from the truth. Secretary (of the Air Force James G.) Roche and I are committed to ensuring all Air Force members have access to safe, adequate and affordable housing either in the local community or on our installations.
"Providing housing options in the local community is our first target. We are also aggressively targeting the problem of inadequate housing on base. At the beginning of this fiscal year, there were 40,000 inadequate military family housing units, but we plan to eliminate these through partnerships with private developers and military construction projects. Through a process we call 'privatization,' we partner with private developers who will build and maintain housing units for Air Force families. These partnership arrangements allow us to provide quality homes more quickly than we can through traditional military constructions.
"As of today, we have already built 4,934 new homes through privatization. By 2007, we will have eliminated all inadequate housing units in the continental United States, and two years later, we will have eliminated inadequate units overseas. Secretary Roche and I view the increased use of privatization as key to meeting these goals so we are working with private developers when it makes sense to do so.
"Increases in BAH provide our members greater flexibility to find housing off base. For on-base housing requirements, privatization provides us greater flexibility to build and renovate quality units, while ensuring the contractors are responsive to the needs of residents. Currently, we have privatized over 6,000 units, and have a very high rate of resident satisfaction. Over the next three years, we plan to privatize a total of 45,000 units. In many cases, the privatized housing is on base property, or just outside the base, making it as convenient as traditional base housing. Privatization is one tool that enables us to provide quality housing to meet your needs."
Work under the current military construction program at Vance Air Force Base is progressing, and the first cul de sac homes are scheduled to be complete by November, said Lewis Hollis, 71st Civil Engineer. Families will be moved into those homes as they are built.
"We're working and achieving General Jumper's goals to help make life better for Airmen of Team Vance," Colonel Cheney said.
"Even as we fight the war on terrorism, we have not lost focus on the importance of quality of life for our Airmen," General Jumper said. "Providing adequate housing allows Airmen to focus on the mission, knowing their families have a safe place to live.
"Ours is the greatest Air Force in the world because of the remarkable people we attract and retain. The old adage that 'we recruit individuals, we retain families' has never been more true. I am extremely proud of the progress we have made in our housing program as we strive to make it worthy of the outstanding men and women who make our Air Force the world's best.
(Editor's note: The full version of the latest Chief of Staff of the Air Force Sight Picture is available at http://www.af.mil/ media/viewpoints/af_housing.html.)