Lodging

All U.S. Army Garrison Alaska posts participate in the "Army Housing Online" website, including information regarding Single Soldier Housing and Family Housing. AHOS (https://onestop. army.mil) has links to off-post rental opportunities and other sources of information regarding community housing and is your best source of information for housing.

Depending on the number of PCS rotations and size of families departing, the wait for a home can range from two months to a year. Typically, more than one-third of families assigned to Fort Wainwright reside off-post in the Fairbanks and North Star Borough area for part of their tour of duty. The DoD policy of raising BAH rates to eliminate most out-of-pocket expenses for rental housing has greatly improved the ability of all ranks to obtain adequate, affordable, off-post housing. You should check current BAH rates for your grade as soon as you are alerted for PCS to Alaska.

The vacancy rate is very seasonal and rental units become more expensive and difficult to obtain during the summer months. The winter rental vacancy rate is typically double that of the lowest summer rate.

Fort Wainwright Family Housing Office
All military members desiring to live off-post must process through the Housing Services Office (HSO) prior to entering into any rental or sales agreement.

HSO provides off-post housing services. HSO will assist married and unaccompanied service members in locating affordable rental housing on the economy and may be contacted at 353-1660.

The Preferred Tenant Program (PTP) is a service for Soldiers who need to reside off post for a period of one year or more while waiting for quarters, or who would prefer to reside off post permanently. PTP is specially designed for military personnel and offers a 3 percent below market rate for rentals and reduced security deposits. For information concerning this program, call 353-1642.

Utilities will vary in cost, depending on location, type of utilities and time of year. It is recommended inbound families obtain a letter of credit, showing their most recent one-year payment history, from their current utility providers. If your credit history is good (it is a good idea to bring a letter showing good credit history from your previous utility company), Fairbanks area utilities will generally waive the deposit requirement prior to initiating service.

Very few rentals accept pets and it is recommended individuals with pets be prepared to make other arrangements for their care. There is an absolute limit of two pets in Army Family Housing and individuals arriving with excess pets will not be allowed to apply for or occupy government housing. Rent for houses is higher than for apartments or duplexes with an accompanying higher utility rate, especially for allelectric homes. (Natural gas is not widely available in Fairbanks and oil is a common source of home heating.) There are a limited number of four- and five-bedroom houses available. Soldiers requiring four or five bedrooms should be absolutely assured housing is waiting upon arrival prior to bringing their family members to Fort Wainwright. The housing office is located in Building 3401, the Welcome Center, on Fort Wainwright.

The office is open 7:30 a.m. weekdays except Thursdays, open at 9 a.m. and closes at 4:30 p.m. For more information, call DSN (317) 353-1190/1666 or commercial (907)-353-1190/1666.

ON-POST HOUSING
North Haven Communities
Service members of all ranks on forts Wainwright and Greely who elect to serve "with Family members" (accompanied) tours and who receive command sponsorship, are eligible to apply for on-post housing with North Haven Communities. Service members with families who would like to live on-post are encouraged to visit the NHC website at www.nhcalaska.com. All service members, including bachelor and/or unaccompanied officers and enlisted members, must check in at the Fort Wainwright Housing Office before making any arrangements for housing, including off-post housing.

For those who will be renting community housing on an interim or permanent basis, research and planning is essential for a successful move. Like most states, Alaska's landlord-tenant laws are based on the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. The total amount charged for all deposits and prepaid rent (except the first month's rent) cannot exceed two months rent. A rental lease is an important legal document and lays out responsibilities of both landlord and tenant.

Soldiers should pay close attention to the presence of a military clause, required notice of termination, etc. Alaska posts follow the Amy-wide trend whereby the majority of families reside in the civilian community.

Tourism is one of the top three Alaska industries, leading to a seasonal (i.e., high summer) demand for lodging and housing. This means that lodging books early for the summer months and you are unlikely to find suitable temporary accommodations in either Anchorage or Fairbanks if you do not plan ahead and reserve early. In Fairbanks, some apartment complexes even revert to daily and weekly temporary lodging rates for customers during the summer to accommodate the influx of tourists and seasonal workers.

Use your sponsor for travel planning advice and assistance. Kennels fill up, and most landlords do not accept pets. Use the links on AHOS to plan and confirm your accommodations (as well as those of family pets).

Single service members in grades staff sergeant and above can live in the bachelor quarters or off post. "Unaccompanied" Soldiers who are voluntarily separated are not authorized assignment to bachelor quarters; therefore, these service members must reside off post. Housing units on the Alaska posts are administered in compliance with AR 210-50, Army Housing Management and local policies (which can be found on the appropriate AHOS link).

Family and senior enlisted and officer bachelor quarters units are each equipped with a dishwasher, garbage disposal, washing machine, clothes dryer, electric range and refrigerator. All personnel authorized quarters are allowed shipment of their full household goods weight allowance. The doors, stairs and hallways of family housing may not accommodate oversized furniture or large freezers, so plan your move accordingly.

North Haven Communities can provide "loaner issue" of furniture pending arrival of the member's personal household goods. The "loaner issue" includes such items as beds, dining table with chairs and couches but does not include bed linens, pots and pans or curtains.

Cookware and dinnerware can be obtained from the Army Community Service "loan closet" on a first-come, first-served basis. Government furnished appliances are currently electric. While all homes constructed since 1994 have one- or twocar attached garages, the majority of the housing inventory does not. Each home is normally assigned a minimum of one parking space equipped with an engine heater outlet. The outlets have a 1,000-watt-maximum capacity, but even for very large engines, 850-watt heaters are adequate. Running extension cords from inside homes to heat additional vehicles is not authorized.

North Haven Communities housing consists of either two-, three- or four-bedrooms, with some five-bedroom units available in the newer housing. Most units are two-story, fourplexes with a full basement, while field-grade officer housing features duplexes (one floor with a basement) as well as newly constructed units, which continue to come online at forts Wainwright and Greely.

Homes for families with exceptional family members is available. It is important for inbound families to coordinate any specific Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) requirements with North Haven Communities and the EFMP program manager in advance of arrival. Personnel must have family members screened for the program before arriving. A copy of DA Form 5888 (Family Member Deployment Screening Sheet) must accompany a copy of DA Form 4787 (Reassignment Processing) for approved travel for family members. Ensure that any EFMP family members are enrolled in the program prior to your PCS to Alaska, and notify the Family Housing Office of your needs on arrival.

At Fort Wainwright there are more than 1,706 homes located on post, including 100 domestic leases of community rentals. North Haven Communities neighborhoods are largely within walking distance of elementary schools, the Shoppette, child care center and chapel. Forts Wainwright and Greely have a variety of older and newer homes, with a mixture of units having garages. Projects are ongoing to renovate older homes and construct new ones. There are garages for four-plex, triplex, and most duplex and single-family quarters.

North Haven Communities has an active Facebook page. North Haven Communities housing management office is located on Fort Wainwright at 4183-1 Unit 5, 6th Street. For more information, call (907)- 356-7000 or visit the website, www.nhcalaska.com

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