According to some GOP Congress members, housing conditions for Florida military families need improvement.
North Florida Congressman Aaron Bean (FL-04) is calling for a full review of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) following disturbing reports of unsafe living conditions affecting military families nationwide.
Bean cites several stories of families from Northeast Floridians, including a family whose children now face lifelong health issues due to toxic mold exposure and alleged misconduct by housing contractors. “I am highly concerned about the stories I have received regarding dangerous housing conditions under the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI),” said the Congressman.
Bean says there are plenty of horror stories of military families living in bad conditions, like mold contamination, children with chronic respiratory issues, and vision impairments requiring lifelong medical care.
Bean is irate from what he has been witnessing. “Instead of properly remediating the problem, the housing company haphazardly opened contaminated walls, spreading toxins throughout the house. Allegedly, the situation only worsened as the company withheld environmental test results, attempted to reopen a denied insurance claim fraudulently, and deleted an environmental service request that documented the family was sick.”
Congressman Bean believes that upcoming legislation will address these problems and wants to see several items included to improve housing conditions for our servicemembers. Key provisions include:
Authorizing over $1.4 billion for the new construction of barracks and family housing
Mandating that the Department of Defense deliver a plan to meet its legal obligations on health, safety, and environmental hazards
Requiring an independent evaluation of housing conditions, resident support gaps, and private contractor performance.
Strengthening contract terms to better protect military families.
