Fort Benning Family Faces Housing Crisis

PHOTO CAPTION: Family housing at Fort Benning, Georgia. A military spouse says problems in her family's on-post home eventually led her to take the couple's children and relocate roughly five hours away while her active-duty husband remained near his duty station. The housing shown is illustrative and is not identified as the family's residence. (U.S. Army)

An Army family says months of water leaks, damage and suspected fungal growth in their Fort Benning home became so concerning that the soldier’s wife took their children and moved roughly five hours away, leaving the active-duty service member behind near his duty station.

Military spouse Jenny Cisco Tague made the allegations in an open letter to Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff that became public this week, describing a family divided while seeking help over conditions in their on-post home.

Tague said the home experienced repeated leaks, water damage and what she described as visible “suspected fungal growth.” She said the family repeatedly reported the problems but continued experiencing leaks.

Rather than keep the children in the home, Tague said she relocated with them approximately five hours away. Her husband remained at Fort Benning and now makes the drive to see his family on weekends.

The situation became more alarming this week when the family returned to retrieve belongings, according to Tague.

She said their 4-year-old son suffered another serious episode that resulted in an asthma attack during the visit. Her letter attributes the children's health problems to the housing conditions, but publicly available reporting does not establish through independent medical testing that mold or another condition in the home caused the episode.

Tague also said the proposed solution for her husband was to find another place to stay at the family's expense.

She said the family could not realistically afford that option.

The family says the housing problems have now affected their finances, their children's health and their ability to live together. Tague said her husband has served in the military for 20 years.

The claims arrive against a broader backdrop of documented complaints involving privatized military housing at Fort Benning.

In July, Ossoff released an investigation containing first-hand accounts from military families at Fort Benning and Fort Stewart who reported mold, flooding, lead exposure, pest infestations, plumbing problems and other unsafe conditions.

One Fort Benning family told investigators that repeated basement flooding led to mold problems that took about a month to address. Another reported significant health problems they associated with mold exposure. A separate family reported that a premature newborn had elevated lead levels after living in on-post housing.

Those earlier cases are separate from the Tague family's allegations, but they show that complaints about water intrusion, mold and housing conditions at Fort Benning are not isolated to a single household.

The Army identifies The Michaels Organization as its private-sector management and development partner for Fort Benning family housing. The installation's Military Housing Office is responsible for government oversight and assisting soldiers and families with housing concerns.

Earlier this year, Fort Benning and Michaels also began replacing 112 legacy homes in the Norton Court neighborhood with new townhomes. At the May groundbreaking, installation leaders described quality housing as a key part of supporting soldiers and their families.

The Army has previously said it conducts inspections of privatized housing and remains committed to enforcing standards and holding housing providers accountable. That statement was made in response to earlier Fort Benning housing complaints and was not a response to the Tague family's current case.

The Sept. 10 report on Tague's letter did not include a current response from Fort Benning or The Michaels Organization regarding her family's specific allegations.

Tague said the family is seeking what she described as honest answers and a workable solution, arguing that military families should not be passed between the installation and private housing management while trying to resolve potentially serious problems.

For this Army family, the consequences are already tangible: the mother and children are living hours away while the soldier remains at Fort Benning.

Sources: Now Georgia; Office of Sen. Jon Ossoff; U.S. Army

(Source: OAF Nation)