Apartment Trends Magazine September 2014

APARTMENT ADVOCATE NATIONAL APARTMENT ASSOCIATION NAA/NMHC Members Lobby On Behalf of Military Housing Residents L ong before Jim Cox served Lincoln Military Housing, he was serving his country. As a retired Navy Master Chief, Cox knows firsthand the financial challenges many young military families face. As a junor enlisted man, his own wife was often waiting by the mailbox for the next paycheck to arrive. Thus, for Cox and many other NAA/NMHC members who develop, own and operate privatized military housing, providing servicemen and women with quality, affordable housing hits close to home. Unfortunately, this soon may be jeopardized. On July 24, Cox and four of his military housing colleagues met with key congressional offices to discuss concerns regarding a proposed five percent reduction to the Department of Defense’s Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) benefit in the Senate version of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). If passed, the proposal would increase out-ofpocket housing expenses for one million troops and impact many of the services military housing communities currently provide for their residents. “Eighty percent of our residents are at the lowest end of the pay scale,” Joe Sharp, CAPS, VP of Lincoln Military Housing, told U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s staff. “This potential outof-pocket expense is money they don’t have. They’ll be forced to return to substandard living.” Added former military spouse Paula Baker, Hunt Companies, “Here’s a vibrant program that’s working well, but we’re going to spiral into the same crummy housing situations that we fixed in the first place if we don’t have this revenue stream.” In all, members met with 11 Senate offices, inFrom Left: Paula Baker, Joe Sharp, Sam Merrick and Jim Cox met with 11 cluding Assistant Senate offices to discuss concerns with a 5 percent reduction to the Basic Majority Leader Allowance for Housing (BAH) benefit. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Kelly ation in February 2015. Given the short legislative Ayotte (R-N.H.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kirsten calendar remaining in this Congress, the timing Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.). and ultimate outcome of Senate action remain NAA/NMHC members explained the imporuncertain. tance of the current BAH and asked the congres“For many of these families, five percent is the sional offices to adopt the House-passed NDAA, difference between making it and not,” said Mike which rejected changes to military housing benefits Haydinger, United Communities. “This could until the Military Compensation and Retirement hamper or cripple many of the services these men Modernization Commission completes its evaluand women have been promised.” Miss an Issue? 877-337-7103 www.CrimeSceneCleanersCO.com 34 | TRENDS • SEPTEMBER 2014 The new AAMD website has archived electronic versions of every issue of Trends since 2008, so you can access them at any time at www.aamdhq.org/PastTrends www.aamdhq.org

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