U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan
Yongsan Housing Decision Saves 250K a Year
Officials at U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Yongsan, Republic of Korea, announced a plan in August 2008 to open on-post, field-grade housing units to captains and senior warrant officers. The plan has paid dividends for the garrison and for families who were able to move on post. At the time, ten government-leased housing units on Yongsan Garrison South Post in the Itaewon Acres neighborhood were vacant. The Army pays about $20,000 annually for each of these quarters regardless of occupancy. "Our plan is saving the Army about a quarter million dollars a year," said USAG Yongsan commander Col. Dave Hall. "The reason we did this is because of demographics. It was a business decision."
The garrison has more than 150 company-grade officers who live off post with their families. Seoul is the fifth largest city in the world, and housing costs are high. "The majority of those captains and senior warrant officers want quarters," Hall said. "We only have 58 sets of company grade quarters in the garrison. What we may do in the future is make Itaewon Acres a company-grade housing area." Company-grade family housing at Yongsan is normally at Hannam Village; however, that housing area is at 100 percent occupancy. Itaewon Acres had been a field-grade housing area.
Before housing began assigning field-grade quarters to captains and senior warrants, a notice went to all Itaewon Acres residents to explain the policy shift. "If we didn't open up these vacant quarters to captains and senior warrant officers, we would have had to issue statements of nonavailability so they could reside off post," said USAG Yongsan housing manager Carol Jones. "It is within the realm of regulatory guidance that garrison commanders have the authority to reallocate family housing units from one grade category to another when there is a disparity or shortage in another grade," she explained. The command decision to move captains and chief warrant officers 3 into vacant Itaewon Acres quarters has been a success, Jones said. "When you consider we were paying money for vacant quarters at the rate of $20,000 a year and then figure in the cost of a statement of nonavailability at more than $40,000 a year... it just makes sense to keep them occupied," she said.
Since August, USAG Yongsan has assigned 13 captains and one chief warrant officer three to Itaewon Acres. There remained one vacancy in Itaewon Acres, which Jones expected to assign to a captain. "I have not received any negative comments from residents since we initiated this policy change," Jones said. In fact, the response from captains and their spouses who now have the option to live on Yongsan garrison instead of off post is one of extreme gratitude and happiness." "Now we have more places for these officers and their Families to live," Hall said. "We're also being good stewards of Army funds, so it's a big deal."
- Mission The Army has to pay for the housing regardless of occupancy. The plan adopted in August 2008, is an excellent way to save Army funds by maintaining high occupancy in housing.
- Community The plan to open additional field-grade housing units to captains and senior warrant officers improves the morale of Army leadership and their Families. It also reduces the commute of soldiers since they are on post.
- Environment Vacant houses deteriorate quicker and have higher maintenance costs. By keeping the houses occupied, the Army reduces the risk of mold growth in walls and appliances which is a common problem in empty structures due to the buildup of heat and moisture.
The command decision to move captains and chief warrant officers 3 into vacant Itaewon Acres quarters has been a success. The Army pays approximately $20,000 annually for each of these quarters regardless of occupancy, and the cost of a statement of nonavailability is more than $40,000 a year. The Army has reported savings of $250,000 per year.
Public Affairs, USAG Yongsan - 011-505-82-738-3336, DSN 738-3336