Their loved ones serve our country but call their living conditions a slap in the face
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (WZTV) — Back in February, concerned military spouses took their housing frustrations to Capitol Hill. Those at the top vowed to make a change.
However, Fort Campbell families allege some are still feeling the burdens of potentially hazardous housing conditions.
“I am appalled. I am frustrated. I am angry,” said one military wife who concealed her identity out of fear of retaliation.
For nearly one year, her family of four lived in Fort Campbell's on-post housing at the Pierce Village apartments. She said brown recluse spiders took over their two-story duplex, despite paying more than $1,300 per month.
“When I was doing dishes they would crawl across the counter,” she explained. “If I was sitting on the couch, they would crawl on my legs. They were in our bed. They were in our clothes.”
The concerned mother shared photos of mold hidden behind walls and chipping lead-based paint. There are other families, she said, who are currently exposed to these housing conditions.
“Why should my husband, or anybody’s husband or spouse, be deployed or be training and having to worry about if their family is sick this week and in the hospital because of the hazardous conditions?”
Their concerns were allegedly initially ignored by Campbell Crossing property management, which operates the privatized housing community under a partnership between Lendlease Corporation and the U.S. Army.
“Me and my two children always had bronchitis or we always had some sort of upper respiratory infection. We went to the hospital multiple times.”
FOX 17 News spoke with Fort Campbell's director of public affairs who said they would not do an on camera interview. They shared the following statement instead:
"The life, health, safety and welfare of our Soldiers and Families are a paramount concern of leadership on Fort Campbell. Housing is a major factor in that equation. The commander's expectation is that leadership, at all levels, is actively involved in this process. When a concern is expressed, we address each resident's issues on their own merits and take action to resolve each problem proactively, and do so to the best of our ability."
Campbell Crossing management also responded with a written statement. It reads in part: “We encourage all our resident families to report any suspected lead-based paint flaking, mold, or other environmental concerns at move in and throughout their residency. These service orders are marked as “urgent” and we commit to sending trained maintenance personnel to address the issue within 24 hours, in addition to on-call maintenance crews that are always available to attend to residents 24 hours a day. We remain focused on assuring the safety and comfort of the families living in Fort Campbell and continuously enhancing the standard of housing we provide.”
Fort Campbell is encouraging residents to utilize their housing complaint hotline. That number is 270-956-4728.
