Georgia Senator Uncovers Dangerous Conditions in Privatized Military Housing

U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff’s investigation has uncovered dangerous living conditions for military families in privatized military housing on Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, and Ft. Stewart near Hinesville, Georgia.

Sen. Ossoff released a new report with first-hand accounts of substandard housing conditions at Ft. Benning and Ft. Stewart, including reports of lead exposure affecting newborn health, severe mold contamination leading to emergency room visits, flooding in living areas, and more.

Many of the families interviewed reported that housing conditions directly impacted their physical health leading to skin rashes and breathing difficulties resulting in emergency room visits.

“Our military servicemembers and their families make huge sacrifices for the country, and it’s a travesty how they’re being treated by privatized housing contractors in Georgia and nationwide,” Sen. Ossoff said. “The stories in this report should shock our conscience, and I will continue exposing the mistreatment of military families in privatized housing and working to protect them and improve conditions.”

The work builds on Sen. Ossoff’s eight-month bipartisan investigation in 2022 that uncovered mistreatment and neglect of families living in privatized military housing on post at Georgia’s Ft. Gordon. As a direct result of Sen. Ossoff’s investigation, the U.S. Army then committed to conduct unit-by-unit inspections of housing on military installations, including at Ft. Gordon.

As detailed in Sen. Ossoff’s new report, military families reported severe mold and mildew contaminations, lead and asbestos exposure, plumbing issues, pest infestations, and electrical failures. For example:

• A family at Ft. Benning reported significant health problems due to exposure to mold in their home, including respiratory issues, reduced lung function, allergies, chronic sore throats, fatigue, hives, rashes, and sleep apnea. The family reported that their youngest daughter required a sleep study and ultimately a tonsillectomy after developing sleep-disordered-breathing. The family also reported that the husband was diagnosed with cholinergic urticaria, a condition that causes hives. Based on his symptoms, his allergist suspects he has systemic mastocytosis, a rare blood disorder that can cause daily flare-ups each day and increase the risk of anaphylaxis.
• A Ft. Benning family’s premature newborn was reported to have elevated lead levels after two weeks of residence in their home, prompting the family to terminate their lease and pay over US$1,000 to be moved to a different house on-base. During the initial lease signing, the family reported that the housing company told them the home “could have lead.” Upon move-in, a housing supervisor allegedly stated that there was so much lead in the house that their baby could not crawl on floors or play outside because lead was “dripping off the house” and contaminating the surrounding soil.
• One Ft. Stewart family reported that their daughter missed nearly half the school year due to mold-related illness resulting in multiple emergency room visits. Reportedly, their daughter’s symptoms would improve when staying away from the house but return upon coming back. The family was relocated to a new home but the family reported that visible mold appeared in the HVAC closet in the new home within three weeks.
• At Ft. Benning, one family reported that their basement repeatedly flooded when it rained despite numerous requests for remediation. The flooding reportedly led to mold issues that the family said took a month to address. The family also stated that maintenance staff “only authorized minimal repairs” instead of fixing the underlying water intrusion problem.
• At Ft. Benning, one family reported a German cockroach infestation in their home shortly after moving in. They stated the cockroaches were living inside kitchen appliances including the oven, dishwasher, and refrigerator, making the kitchen unusable for food preparation. The family’s daughter, enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), a government program which provides support to families with special needs, reportedly developed rashes and breathing issues from cockroach exposure that required medical attention. According to the family, a professional pest control service confirmed this was a pre-existing infestation that predated the family’s residency period.

Last month, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Restore Military Families’ Voices Act with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Democrat-Massachusetts) to protect Georgia servicemembers and military families from being silenced by banning housing contractors from requesting that military families sign non-disclosure agreements.

In May, Sen. Ossoff secured a commitment from the U.S. Army to improve privatized housing and hold contractors accountable during a hearing about funding priorities for military construction projects. Sen. Ossoff also highlighted the ongoing need to improve privatized housing conditions for servicemembers and their families.

In 2024, Sen. Ossoff’s bipartisan Junior Enlisted Housing Affordability Act with Sen. Thom Tillis (Republican-North Carolina) was signed into law as part of the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The law will update how the Department of Defense (DoD) calculates housing allowances for junior enlisted servicemembers with dependents to more accurately assess their housing costs.

Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s report: Dangerous Conditions in Privatized Military Housing on Georgia’s Ft. Stewart & Ft. Benning.