Editorial: Long overdue improvements to military housing now underway

The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press Editorial Board, The Virginian-Pilot on Dec 4, 2024

Published in Op Eds

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Those who volunteer to serve in our nation’s military, and their families, deserve to have safe, comfortable, decent places to live. Too often, we have failed to provide that basic need. So it’s good to hear news of housing improvements and new projects in Hampton Roads.

Recent positive developments are obviously welcome news for service members and their families.

Work in progress and plans under discussion also are positive developments for this area. The military is a vital part of our economy, but even more important, service members and their families are vital parts of our communities.

New housing initiatives are also good news for the Navy at a time when the military is struggling to recruit new members and to keep those who do volunteer after they have fulfilled their initial commitment — when they have been trained and are better able to help build a stronger force.

Unfortunately, here and elsewhere, there have been many instances of service members and their families living in housing that is, to put it kindly, substandard. The word squalid comes to mind — leaky roofs, moldy walls, pest infestations, peeling paint, problematic heating and cooling, overdue repairs. Investigations revealed that inadequate oversight allowed some companies involved in military housing to be incompetent and others to be deceitful.

Even worse is the rash of suicides among young, mostly single, sailors that peaked in 2022. Many of those tragic deaths involved sailors who were desperate after months living isolated lives in inadequate conditions while assigned to ships being overhauled at the shipyard in Newport News.

Thank goodness, the problems have been acknowledged, and improvements are under way.

In Virginia Beach and Norfolk, Liberty Military Housing has stepped up to replace outdated homes with new dwellings and to make significant renovations to hundreds of other single-family homes and town homes in several military housing communities. Work on $120 million in upgrades began in 2023 and will continue into 2026.

Liberty listened to input from families who live in the homes. Through meetings and online surveys, the company learned what Navy families want and need: plank flooring rather than carpeting, for example, and bathroom sinks with cabinets for storage rather than pedestals. These details can make life easier for families with children. Other work includes improvements such as new roofs and siding, and updated kitchens.

In Newport News, state and local leaders and Navy officials are continuing to work together toward new housing for sailors adjacent to the shipyard. The proposed project would serve the dual purposes of providing more suitable housing for sailors whose ships are in the yards and revitalizing the old downtown.

Virginia’s Sen. Tim Kaine wisely has pushed reforms, including a tenant Bill of Rights, for service members living in military family housing as well as making sure there is more oversight of housing conditions.

These types of efforts are essential. The military services are having trouble recruiting and keeping enough people in their ranks. The U.S. has relied solely on volunteers for its military for half a century now, and only a small minority of Americans have military experience or know anyone who has.

People who grow up without that military tradition need a reason to sign up. Some patriotic spirit is involved, but it’s asking a lot to expect a young man or woman to voluntarily go through rigorous training, be told what to do when, and put their life on the line if necessary. If they have to do that and be paid less than their civilian counterparts and live in squalor, it’s not surprising that recruiting has faltered.

There should be no question that our country will do what is necessary to take proper care of our warriors and their families. Not only is it the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing — an investment in the strength and resilience of the military that protects us and helps make the world a safer place.

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