The Protection Division is working to enhance its navy housing privatization initiative, or MHPI.
Patricia Coury, deputy assistant secretary of protection for housing, testified yesterday at a digital assembly of the Home Appropriations Subcommittee on Army Development, Veterans Affairs and Associated Businesses listening to.
The division is resourced to supply protected, high quality, well-maintained housing the place navy members and their households will need to dwell, she mentioned.
The navy providers have employed greater than 600 extra housing personnel to supply enhanced, high quality assurance, buyer care providers and advocacy for residents, Coury mentioned.
Additionally, the division has considerably enhanced the MHPI program and oversight of the personal sector firms that personal, function and preserve privatized housing initiatives, she mentioned.
DOD is concentrated on 5 program oversight areas:
- Senior chief engagement to collaborate internally and inside MHPI firms on housing points and vital corrective actions.
- Rebuilding belief with the navy households and navy members.
- Offering accountability in any respect ranges inside DOD and by MHPI firms to carry out oversight as initially supposed on the outset of housing privatization.
- Offering transparency and communications to tenants and the division.
- Guaranteeing the long-term monetary viability of the MHPI initiatives and program.
The division issued a revised MHPI tenant invoice of rights on Aug. 1. That now contains all 18 rights, she mentioned.
“Primarily based on our work with the MHPI firms that personal and function privatized housing initiatives, they’ve voluntarily applied these security rights in any respect however 5 of the practically 200 installations with privatized housing,” Coury mentioned.
Whereas the division continues to pursue agreements with the MHPI firms on the 5 remaining installations, practically 96% of the navy households who reside in privatized housing have entry to all 18 rights, she mentioned.
“Our progress implementing the tenant Invoice of Rights represents a foundational step in DOD’s ongoing efforts to enhance the MHPI program and to rebuilding belief and making certain constructive residing expertise for navy members and their households,” she mentioned.
Along with issuing the revised Tenant Invoice of Rights, Coury mentioned DOD has taken different actions to enhance oversight. These embody:
- Implementing departmentwide quarterly programmatic critiques.
- Establishing new DOD uniform housing commonplace and inspection necessities.
- Working with private-sector MHPI firms to speed up mission funding to renovate or assemble new housing items and enhance the situation of current privatized housing.
“Our precedence going ahead is to give attention to implementing MHPI reforms supposed to enhance the protection, high quality and habitability of privatized housing, whereas persevering with our enhanced oversight of the MHPI program and initiatives,” she mentioned.
“The division is dedicated to making sure navy members and households who select to reside in MHPI housing have protected, high quality houses and a constructive residing expertise,” Coury mentioned.
