More airmen may live off base

Airman, March, 2004 by C. Todd Lopez

WASHINGTON -- A change in how the Air Force figures unaccompanied housing requirements will call for fewer dormitory rooms--meaning more airmen could move off base in the future.

Under the new policy, which took effect in January, the Air Force must provide dormitory housing for unaccompanied E-1s through E-3s and E-4s with less than three years' service. Previously, the Air Force maintained dorm spaces for all unaccompanied airmen E-4 and below.

The policy change is designed to make the number of dorm rooms the Air Force must have available more predictable, said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald Murray.

"It's easier to base a construction policy on years in service as opposed to rank within the service," Chief Murray said. "We feel this construction policy will give us the best predictability."

Basic allowance for housing rates are set high enough that senior airmen should be able to obtain adequate housing downtown, without paying a lot of out-of-pocket costs, Chief Murray said. That trend will continue, and by 2005, the allowance is expected to pay 100 percent of off-base housing costs.

"Today we believe that our young airmen have the pay and allowance to go into the downtown areas and afford good-quality homes," Chief Murray said.

Staff Sgt. C. Todd Lopez

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