Air Force to address Fairchild housing needs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE – Finding affordable adequate housing has become a very serious issue for many facets of society, and the housing needs of Fairchild Air Force Base are not currently being met, according to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Sen. Patty Murray.

It was recently announced that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendell has agreed to fully evaluate the housing needs of Fairchild Air Force Base.

The announcement comes just a couple of weeks after Rodgers, R-Spokane, and Murray, D-Shoreline, requested a full housing requirement and market analysis.

Rodgers and Murray cited the recent changes in the housing market as a major factor in the lack of available housing for service members and their families.

“The Spokane region’s apartment vacancy rate has been at or below 2.1% since the spring of 2019. Housing prices have increased by 28.2% in the last year, and the population continues to grow with another 48,000 residents anticipated by 2030. On base housing availability is extremely limited as well,” the lawmakers said in their letter.

“Fairchild AFB Privatized Housing currently has a 97.8% occupancy rate, and there are currently 149 military families on a waitlist for base housing, with wait times ranging anywhere from one to nine months. This is unacceptable – our servicemembers and their families need safe, affordable housing to live in, and Air Force action is needed.”

In their letter the two lawmakers said the last complete analysis was done in 2005, although a validation of that study was done in 2019. They also said on base housing is extremely hard to get as well with 97.8% of on base homes being occupied.

There are 635 homes on base and 621 of them are occupied with 13 of the other 14 already being pre-leased.

In the same letter Rodgers and Murray also said that “149 families are currently on a waitlist for base housing and wait times can range from one month to nine months.”

The lawmakers also said they have heard reports of service members living in recreational vehicles on the base, and said that is “unacceptable.”

In a response letter sent to Rodgers, Jennifer L. Miller the acting assistant secretary of the Air Force (Energy, Installations, and Environment) said the issue will be addressed, but the planning for next year is already underway so it would be delayed until the year after.

“The installation reviewed the data in your letter and has formally requested a Housing Requirement Market Analysis to evaluate the market conditions in the Spokane area. Our Fiscal Year 2022 HRMAs were already planned and in execution but we have added this to our Fiscal Year 2023 requirements,” she said. Miller then added the Air Force would look to expedite the process if given the chance.

“We will also look for opportunities to get this contracted this year, should additional funding become available. We hope the data from the HRMA will help the local community provide suitable and affordable housing for our members,” Miller said.

Rodgers said she was encouraged by this letter, and that it “is a necessary effort to better understand — and ultimately address — the lack of affordable housing for service members and their families stationed at Fairchild, and it is an encouraging step in the right direction.”

Murray also said she is glad to see the proactive response, but said “servicemembers and their families continue to struggle to find affordable housing,” and hopes to continue working toward viable solutions.

Rodgers said she is grateful Secretary Kendell is taking these concerns seriously and hopes that a possible solution can be found to aid families during 2022.

“We must not forget that military families in the Spokane area are still facing very real housing challenges that cannot be pushed aside,” Rodgers said, “rent and housing prices are soaring, and on-base housing is scarce. I look forward to working together on an interim solution to address these concerns.”

Matthew O. Stephens can be reached at [email protected].