Beginning in 2014, senior leaders across the island became concerned about the condition of Military Family Housing on Okinawa. For years leading up to this date, a reduced amount of investment had been made in Military Family Housing on Okinawa pending the move of major military units from Okinawa to Guam. When the moves did not occur as scheduled, a reinvestment program was needed. This reinvestment is called the “Okinawa Housing Revitalization Program.” It is a 7 year; $500M program which is added to previous investments of near $200M in 2014 – 2016. The entire program from 2014 – 2024 will revitalize over 5,000 units and costs approx. $710M.
During the revitalization program, family housing will reach a low availability of about 5,000 units from 2017 until 2019 at which time a significant number of homes are returned to the inventory. By 2024, the island will have 6,928 units in very good condition. The program focuses on major efforts such as replacement of water, sewer, and power systems, upgrade of fire suppression systems, installation of in-home HVAC units and hot water heaters, and some cosmetic updating of kitchens and bathrooms. Efforts are different in each neighborhood and are based upon the specific needs of individual areas.
It is possible that families assigned to Military Family Housing will need to relocate due to construction efforts. Every effort is made to give families a year notice before reaching the “must move” date. Neighborhoods within one year of construction efforts will see few new personnel assigned to those areas. If you are in a neighborhood that will see construction within a year, you will be notified. Impacted personnel are invited to informational relocation briefings and service assistance is provided when a move is required.