Senator Hassan Addresses Mistreatment of Military Families in Privatized Housing at Subcommittee Hearing
Housing Company Accused of Mistreatment Manages Housing Units Near the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan participated in an oversight hearing today on the mistreatment of military families in privatized housing. The hearing, which was held by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, focused on misconduct by Balfour Beatty Communities, a private company that manages an estimated 43,000 homes at 55 Army, Navy and Air Force bases in 26 states for an estimated 150,000 residents, including housing near the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
Watch Senator Hassan’s questioning here.
At the hearing, Senator Hassan thanked witnesses for speaking out about this critical issue for military members and their families. She also asked witnesses to outline how widespread this issue is.
“I am deeply concerned by the testimony we have heard today, and the impact that similar conduct may have on my constituents. New Hampshire is home to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and the shipyard’s nearby private military housing is also managed by Balfour Beatty,” said Senator Hassan. “How widespread is the misconduct by Balfour Beatty and other private housing contractors?”
Rachel Christian, Founder and Chief Legislative Officer of the Armed Forces Housing Advocates noted, “You will see it at every installation you go to. So at 55 Balfour Beatty institutions, I could not come up with one where I haven’t see an issue with work order closures prior to completion or any type of mistreatment of military families.”
Jana Wanner, a military spouse, explained, “I agree. It’s widespread, all over. Every base that is managed by Balfour Beatty – work orders will remain open for months at a time and ADA accommodations are not properly addressed for special needs families, disabled families.”
Additionally, Senator Hassan discussed with witnesses the challenges military families face when they need disability accommodations at Balfour Beatty Communities, as well the company’s behavior related to work requests from residents to fix problems that they encountered.
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