U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen recently visited Joint Base Lewis McChord to discuss quality of life issues impacting service members. While on base, he toured JBLM’s Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) provided housing and received an update on quality of life of service members, including access to quality housing.
JBLM Commander, Col. Phil Lamb, acknowledged the rising cost of off-base housing and struggles to find partnerships with off-base housing property management companies to address affordable housing shortages in area.
“They’re jumping ship because they don’t need us,” Lamb said. “With the cost of living being what it is and the growth of the population around us … they don’t need to limit themselves to us because they can make that from other nonmilitary folks.”
While the cost of off-base housing remains too expensive for many military families, living in MHPI communities is an affordable option since rental payments are tied to Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). This enables families to find housing on-base that includes costs like utilities and 24/7 maintenance services. In turn, MHPI providers like Liberty Military Housing can reinvest BAH funds into critical investments in communities.
Those investments include a recently announced underwriting of more than $130 million in the base’s housing stock. That investment will go toward 212 new homes that will be constructed in 2027. To improve existing homes on-base, Liberty continues to renovate legacy homes at the installation. Liberty has announced more than $107 million in investments toward upgrading legacy homes across 952 units at the base.
The MHPI enables privatized military housing providers to upgrade and expand communities through direct investment. This benefits military members and their families who are priced-out of the off-base market and improves the quality of life for those residing in on-base housing.