Housing survey available for employees of Altus AFB

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  All military members and Department of Defense civilians assigned to Altus Air Force Base are instructed to complete an online housing requirements and market analysis survey by April 18, 2014.

The survey, which will help housing experts determine future housing market trends on Altus AFB and the surrounding area, should take between 15 to 30 minutes to complete.

In a letter to active duty military and civilians stationed here, U.S. Air Force Col. Bill Spangenthal wrote, "Your input to this process is critical. All service members, whether accompanied or unaccompanied, living on-base or off-base, are highly encouraged to complete an online survey assessing your current housing situation."

The survey will be used to help forecast housing needs and requirements over the next five years, said Spangenthal, who is the commander of the 97th Air Mobility Wing.

Service members may complete the survey by visitinghttps://airforcehousingsurvey.us/, and using "Altus AFB" for the username and "altus6972%" as the password.

"The survey is open to any DOD employee at Altus," said Willy Belles, the housing management chief for Altus AFB.

In addition to the survey, a team hired by the Air Force Civil Engineer Center is in Jackson County until April 4 collecting data on housing availability to include homes in the rental and for sale market that will contribute to the final report, which should be completed in August 2014.

The analysis is part of the possible KC-46 bed down at Altus AFB which may bring more than 300 new employees to the base and raises concerns about where these people and their families will live.

"There's not a huge market for rental homes downtown," said Belles. "There are anywhere from 15 to 35 homes that come on the market each month. A few rental homes are passed down through families, or Airmen move away and find another renter from within their unit. We don't even get notified of a lot of these openings because they are already filled in-house."

There are a number of single staff sergeants, technical sergeants and young lieutenants who live in apartments in Altus, but at any given time, there are only about half a dozen available for rent, said Belles. "We used to provide dorm rooms for single NCOs, but we don't have the space for them anymore."

One of the potential outcomes of the report will be the construction of new homes on base, but this will rely on a privatized developer, since on-base housing is no longer managed by the government. If the developer does not agree to build on base, the wing will have to rely on off-base development to house future employees.

Most new developments off base are being built north of Tamarack Road, but the availability and affordability of that housing is dependent on the developer. Historically, development in the Altus area has produced housing for sale, not for rent, said Belles.

Homes for sale are not considered in basic allowance for housing or market analysis studies, since homeowners are considered suitably housed. This also goes for Airmen who are already renting a home; since the Airman resides in that house or apartment, it is not factored in these studies.

Another consideration that the team will look at is if the housing is affordable for base members.

DOD officials announced in December 2013 that Altus AFB would experience a 5.9 percent decrease in housing allowance, which went into effect Jan. 1. This adjustment did not affect service members assigned to the base before Jan. 1, but for anyone who arrives after that date, or Airmen who are promoted after Jan. 1.

BAH rate adjustments are based on three factors: data gathered from property managers for existing vacancies in each area, the costs of utilities based on data from the American Community Survey and renter's insurance costs, based on data collected from insurance carriers in each state.

While this survey does not influence BAH rates, it has a direct influence on the quality of housing options available to Airmen and their families both on and off base in the future.