Military Housing - Military Times

Moving: Assistance

AUTOMATED HOUSING REFERRAL NETWORK

AHRN is an online housing referral network sponsored by the Defense Department that connects military renters with a wide range of rental properties in the area near military installations in the continental U.S. It operates at more than 150 installations, with more coming online. All Air Force continental U.S. installations are expected to be part of the network by the end of March 2008.

Service members are the only prospective tenants who can register to use AHRN to find available housing. However, a family member, such as a spouse, can be registered as an additional user. Service members can search for listings that fall within a 20 percent range of the Basic Allowance for Housing rates in a given area. The site also includes listings for privatized housing. Other search criteria for properties include: the number of miles from the installation, pets allowed, rent range, availability date, type of structure and whether the military housing office has inspected the property.

Local civilian property managers post and maintain their own listings, and are monitored by the local military housing office.

The service is free for service members and for property managers. It’s a tool that can help military members find housing in advance, which can help make “door-to-door” moves a smoother process.

Contact: http://www.ahrn.com

MILITARY HOMEFRONT/PLAN MY MOVE

The Defense Department’s “Plan My Move” site has information about planning and managing a permanent change of station move, as well as detailed information on most military installations worldwide.

Information includes education resources and schools, employment assistance and training, permanent and temporary housing, shipment and storage of household goods, recreation opportunities, and local community resources for the departure and destination locations. Plan My Move replaces the previous Defense Department SITES system.

The “Plan My Move” tool provides a planning calendar that can be customized to fit a family’s needs, pulling information from the departure location and the new duty assignment. It provides checklists and planners, major unit listings, contacts and photo galleries for all installations.

Plan My Move helps a service member or family member investigate installation housing, find the best communities and affordable housing, manage allowances and entitlements, find the best daycare and preschools, and ship pets. It provides tip sheets for more than 100 different moving topics.

Contact: http://www.militaryhome front.dod.mil/moving

MILITARY MOVING STATION

Military Moving Station is a relocation service company that specializes in providing expert real estate counselors to help military members who are interested in buying and selling a home. It’s an optional resource for the military members.

Moving Station has a network of hundreds of real estate agents around the country who have been vetted and continue to be monitored. Military families can choose from several agents. The company doesn’t directly charge real estate agents or service members; it gets a standard percentage after the sale of the house is closed.

Contact: http://www.militarymoving station.com

MILITARY ONE SOURCE

This Defense Department resource provides assistance in virtually any subject area related to military life, but it can be especially useful for those with questions about resources in the community around their new duty station. It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Contact: http://www.militaryonesource .com. (User ID: military; Password: onesource) or (800) 342-9647. Overseas: (800) 3429-6477; overseas collect: 1-484-530-5908.

SERVICES’ RELOCATION ASSISTANCE

Personnel at the services’ family centers can provide soup-to-nuts information and answer specific questions from service members and family members.

The services also have Web sites with extensive relocation information, with links to installations and other Web sites related to moving. They provide tips, checklists, and information about moving everything from kids to cars.

Contact: http://www.afcrossroads.com; http://www.myarmylifetoo.com; http://www.usmc-mccs.org; http://www.lifelines.navy.mil.

SMARTWEBMOVE

SmartWebMove is a program for Army and Navy service members changing duty stations within the U.S. and members of other services stationed in the Washington, D.C., area.

The program, which can be accessed 24 hours a day, does not cover self-procured moves or shipping privately owned cars, boats and motor homes.

To use SmartWebMove, service members need their orders, proof of dependents and a power of attorney (if the move is being handled by someone else on the member’s behalf). Contact information such as an e-mail address or phone number is also required.

Contact: https://www.smartwebmove .navsup.navy.mil/swm

SPONSORS

A sponsor is a service member of similar rank and job description at the new duty station who volunteers to help make a newcomer’s transition smoother. Sponsors typically provide newcomers with information about the new community, including housing options and real estate. They might also send maps and local newspapers. Sponsors vary by service and location. Local commands can provide more information.

STOP-MOVEMENT

The stop-movement program is a tool that each service can use to keep members in place by suspending permanent change-of-station moves and some temporary duty assignments.

The program has been used during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to maintain troop strength and readiness, but it also has been used to prevent service members from entering harm’s way after a natural disaster.

The Air Force, for example, has sometimes used stop-movement orders in Gulf Coast states when hurricanes were expected to hit those regions. While the orders prevented members from moving to new duty stations, they also prevented families from moving into areas affected by heavy rains and wind.