What Reddit users are saying about Fort Liberty basic allowance for housing
While the National Defense Authorization Act has included pay raises and increases for the stipend service members receive to pay for off-post housing over the years, some are saying it's not enough to live in a decent area.
According to the Department of Defense, the basic housing allowance is calculated based on a service member’s rank, number of family members, median current market rent and utility costs, dwelling type, number of bedrooms and housing choice for civilians with comparable incomes.
The allowance "provides uniformed service members equitable housing compensation based on housing costs in local civilian housing markets ...when government quarters are not provided," the DOD's Defense Support Services Center states.
"BAH is not intended to cover all of a service member’s housing costs," the center's website states.
What Reddit users are saying
In a post last week titled “BAH is only enough to live in the hood,” one Reddit user said they are a sergeant with dependents living off post near Fort Liberty.
The Reddit user calculated that their BAH rate should be about $1,572 a month but that they were receiving less and planned to check with military finance officials to see if it was a miscalculation.
“I probably didn't do the smart thing and check neighborhoods out very well,” the user wrote. “I was just looking for any place that was about ($1,500) or less and located fairly close to the post. The nicer-looking areas were all several hundred dollars more.”
The poster said that since moving into their current neighborhood, they’d heard “gunshots in the neighborhood on multiple occasions” and there was an arson less than a block away.
“Has anyone else felt a similar situation with BAH rates? Or is the area around Fort Liberty just like this?” the user asked.
Other Reddit users chimed in with advice, agreement, remarks about the housing market or suggestions.
“I pay $400 more than my BAH to not live in a (expletive),” one user wrote. “It's among the reasons I'm getting out at 12 years.”
Some users suggested the original poster live on post.
“Just move on base and suffer dealing with maintenance like the rest of us swine,” one user responded.
In recent years, Fort Liberty soldiers and families have reported suspected mold and maintenance issues in post family housing and barracks, which military leaders, the post's Directorate of Public Works and Fort Liberty's housing provider have worked to fix.
One user said they don’t think soldiers should live off post unless they are a staff sergeant or higher rank or “have some supplemental income.”
“Not saying it's good or bad but the government provides BAH based on a combination of your rank and expected lifestyle/need for your rank,” another wrote. “If you're outside the norm your best bet is almost always going to be to live on post.”
Other Reddit users recommended the original poster not live too close to post.
“Spring Lake has more affordable places. Try there,” one recommended.
Another recommended looking at homes in Raeford, Cameron or closer to downtown Fayetteville “to find something nice, decent and safe.”
Local housing market
Other Reddit users attributed the issue of inadequate housing to the market.
“The problem is across this country there is a housing affordability crisis,” one user said. “Increasing BAH helps but the reality is that it just increases the money chasing after the same limited supply.”
Another user said raising the basic housing allowance “does not always help”
“As soon as it is raised, the rent in the area surrounding post just went up to match it due to 'inflation,'” they said.
According to data from real estate website Zillow, the median rent for apartments in Fayetteville as of Sunday was $1,119, up $301 from the same time last year; while the median rent for a house is $1,400 and townhomes have a median rent of $1,300.
As of Sunday, Fayetteville had 311 houses for rent, 228 apartments available and 53 townhomes available, according to Zillow.
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Congress
One Reddit user surmised that the basic allowance for housing has struggled “to keep up with the market.”
“Even not knowing anything about the Liberty market it would not surprise me if it was hard to find a safe, affordable house within BAH right now without having to drive a fair distance …,” they said.
The user said they think the issue is “semi-actively being addressed by Congress.”
While Congress is currently hashing out details for the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, the House passed its version Friday.
If the House version clears the Senate and is approved by President Joe Biden, service members could see a 5.2% pay increase and changes to the basic allowance for housing tied to service members’ out-of-pocket expenses.
Service members saw a 4.6% pay increase in the current 2023 defense budget and more funding for anticipated “inflation increases,” according to the Department of Defense.
The rates increased an average of 12.1% in the current fiscal year, an average of 5.1% in 2022 and increased an average of 2.9% in 2021, according to the Department of Defense.
Service members can calculate their housing allowance by using the DOD’s online basic allowance for housing calculator.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Does the military provide enough to supplement housing costs?
