Why Fort Hood Families Say On Post Housing is Making Them Sick
Our military men and women and their families, stationed at Fort Hood, are getting sick from living on post.
Housing conditions are getting worse and there doesn't seem to be much getting done to make things better.
Base Housing
One of the "perks" of joining the military is the ability to to take advantage of base housing. As a military brat myself, I literally grew up on base's in Florida (Eglin A.F.B.) and Colorado (Air Force Academy).
The communities are small but friendly. Everybody knows each other and kids across the base tend to grow up and go to school with each other. The longer you're there, the more you'll see families and friends come and go. As a kid growing up on base housing, I never paid that much attention to how the actual housing conditions were. Maybe I had it lucky.
Fort Hood Housing
Fort Hood's Walker Village had been housing soldiers and their families since 1953/1954. The homes were demolished in 2015. Family Housing continues to add more homes on base but some are in need of improvements and the families living in those homes are speaking out about the conditions.
Speaking Out
Lily Kelley and her family have been living on post since October of 2019, Kelley says it didn't take long before they started getting sick. Kelly tells our news partners at KWTX, “Our daughter would get ear infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, just over and over again.”
Things would get worse as they would get rashes, and other illnesses from breathing in mold. They reached out for help and Kelley says they were ignored.
From Bad to Worse
Kelley goes on to detail the flood in there laundry room that filled with sewage water up to their calves. Conditions got so bad that they decided to live in their car until they could find a safer home. The Kelley family even took legal action in 2020 to no avail.
There have been other reports of terrible living conditions on base as well.
Fort Hood Statement
KWTX reached out to Fort Hood to give officials on post the opportunity to address the concerns of families like the Martins and the Kelley's.
A spokesperson on Fort Hood sent KWTX a statement saying:
<p><em>“At Fort Hood Family Housing, we work diligently to provide a home in a community where residents can live, work, and thrive by thoroughly addressing all maintenance issues and safety concerns brought to our attention in a timely manner.</em></p><p><em>“Through an investment of more than $420M, we are actively making community enhancements, including the construction of more than 580 new junior enlisted homes, roof replacements on more than 2,600 homes, and renovations on more than 1,300 homes.</em></p><p><em>“Our team will continue to invest the necessary time, energy, and resources to make Fort Hood Family Housing a community that service members and their families are proud to call home.”</em></p>
Fort Hood said residents who are experiencing a maintenance issue should contact the Maintenance Solution Center (MSC) at (254) 532-3133 or submit a maintenance request online.