Housing

Housing
The Ellsworth Housing Office hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. During non-duty hours, current on-base information is available at http://www.ellsworth.af.mil and off-base housing information is available at http://www.AHRN.com.

Military Family Housing
As of August 2011, military family housing at Ellsworth AFB totals 1,111 housing units (283 are government owned and 828 are from a private company — Hunt Building Corporation). Hunt is responsible for maintaining the units. Individuals living in that area enter into a private lease agreement with Hunt if they choose to live there.

The government owned housing units are divided into two housing areas. Prairie View Estates, constructed in 2004, is located on base and has 40 four-bedroom units and 60 three-bedroom units for junior NCOs. The second housing area is Rushmore Heights, constructed in 2005 through 2009, has 131 four-bedroom units for junior NCOs, 14 four-bedroom units for senior NCOs, 17 four-bedroom units for company grade officers, five prestige four-bedroom units for chief master sergeants, seven three-bedroom units and five four-bedroom units for field grade officers. The last four homes in this housing area are four-bedroom units for senior officers. Centennial Estates housing area was constructed in 1990 and is section 801 "Build Lease" totaling 828 units, occupied by all grades.

The remaining 283 government-owned units will be conveyed to private ownership on or about January 2012 as part of the Military Housing Privatization initiative. The project owner will be tasked to build an additional 214 units.

All active-duty military members who are eligible for BAH at the "with" dependent rate are eligible for military family housing. This includes members who have dependents in their own right. To apply for housing, servicemembers must complete a housing application form (DD Form 1746) either at their current base's housing office, to be forwarded to the Ellsworth housing office, or by stopping at the Ellsworth Housing Office upon their arrival. Completing an advanced application is recommended. Waiting lists are established for all categories of housing in accordance with current policy and directives. Within these designations, waiting lists are maintained by date of application and number of bedrooms the military member is eligible for based on grade, number of dependents and the ages of their children. Inquiries regarding status on the waiting list or approximate waiting times for housing can be answered by calling (605) 385-2570.

Off-Base Housing
To assist newcomers or individuals looking for off-base housing, the Ellsworth Housing Office has a website, http://www.ahrn.com, with the most current rentals on the market. The listings on this website contain information such as size of house, whether furnished or not, location, pictures, pet requirements, cost, contact numbers, security deposit or lease required. When renting, most landlords require the first month's rent and entire security deposit in advance. Also, most rentals require a minimum security deposit of $150; however, under South Dakota law, a deposit of up to one month's rent is legal.

In 1968, the Congress declared a national policy of providing fair housing throughout the United States. This law makes discrimination, which is based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, illegal in regard to sale or rental of most housing. The housing office is responsible for maintaining equal opportunity standards in the off-base housing program. Advise them promptly of any cases of actual or suspected discrimination.
To assist those who might be interested in purchasing a home in the Rapid City area, the housing office has select sales listings of homes and mobile homes provided by military personnel leaving the area, participating members of the Rapid City Multiple Listing Service, area independent realtors, and cooperating individuals in the local community. Veterans' Administration eligibility applications, as well as names, addresses and phone numbers of banks, savings and loan organizations and others who can negotiate home loans — VA, FHA or conventional — are also available.

Dorms
Central Dormitory Management hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. , Monday through Friday, Central dorm management personnel can be reached at (605) 385-2567 during normal duty hours. There are eight hospitality suites available for single, unaccompanied Airmen, E-4 and below, who arrive at Ellsworth. Dorm rooms may be pre-issued (when available) to sponsors of inbound personnel.

Unaccompanied housing at Ellsworth is available for all single Airmen in the ranks of E-1 through E-4. There are 732 rooms in six dormitories, with all rooms being single occupancy. Each dorm has one game room (card and pool tables, dart boards), one kitchen, one laundry room, and at least four TV rooms (high definition cable and WiFi are installed in each first floor day room). Individual dorm rooms are pre-wired for cable television, high-speed cable Internet service, and phone service. Individual room cable, phone, and Internet service are provided by local vendors. Members must contract with local cable company for in-room cable service. Dorm managers can provide contact information and assist with questions regarding private cable service.