Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark Esper, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly and Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett signed the Military Housing Privatization Initiative Tenant Bill of Rights Feb. 25.
The bill of rights commits the Department of Defense to ensuring privatized housing tenants receive quality housing and fair treatment from the MHPI project owners that operate and maintain privatized housing.
Here at Offutt, the MHPI started in September 2005 with Rising View serving as the installation’s privatized housing owner.
The availability of safe, quality and well-maintained homes for Team Offutt has been a top priority for the 55th Wing commander since his arrival in June 2019.
“We have made tremendous strides over the past nine months, but we are just getting started,” said Col. Gavin Marks, 55th Wing commander.
The bill of rights is a direct result of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, which established the rights of military service members and their families residing in privatized housing.
“We have been eagerly awaiting the bill of rights as we believe it will only help us achieve our goal of providing world-class living quarters for our most valued asset – our military members and their families,” Marks said.
Since June, Team Offutt has completed a wing-wide health and safety review of housing and held a town hall for residents. In addition, many internal processes have improved or streamlined while open dialogue between base leadership, residents and Rising View has increased.
“I’m very grateful to Rising View for the support they provide Team Offutt and we are currently finalizing our plans to conduct a similar health and safety review again in 2020,” Marks said. “Without a doubt, privatized housing remains a top priority for me.”
With the signed bill of rights, the DoD and all of its installations worldwide are committed to providing the full benefit listed within the bill by May 1, 2020.
To see the complete list, please click here (https://media.defense.gov/2020/Feb/25/2002254968/-1/-1/1/MILITARY_HOUSING_PRIVATIZATION_INITIATIVE_TENANT_BILL_OF_RIGHTS.PDF)