Housing

As you arrive at Fort Drum, no doubt a top priority is finding a place to make your home. The North Country can be a great place to live and offers Soldiers and Families several choices.

Privatization of Military Housing
The military has transitioned from government-owned and managed housing to privately- managed housing through partnerships with well-known, professional companies to improve the quality of housing and services provided. The Residential Communities Initiative (RCI) was created to improve the quality of housing and services, eliminate substandard housing, build additional homes to meet demand and sustain existing housing. At Fort Drum, Lend Lease and the Department of the Army created a Limited Liability Corporation called Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes to renovate and maintain pre-existing residences and construct new homes on Fort Drum to meet the growing demands of the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). In addition to maintaining residential communities once managed by the government, Mountain Community Homes tends to day-to-day management of the property. In operation since 2005, Mountain Community Homes now handles housing services for all incoming Soldiers, excluding those who require barracks. Single Soldiers E-5 and below are provided barracks accommodations assigned through the Single Soldier Housing office.

Welcome Home Center
(315) 955-6644
www.fortdrumcommunities.com
Upon in-processing, you will visit the Welcome Home Center, located on the 2nd floor of Clark Hall. This is your one-stop shop for all housing needs. Open Mon, Tues, Thurs. and Fri, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wed, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the professional staff provides one-on-one counseling services that cover all housing options for Soldiers and their Families. Here is a brief overview of what Fort Drum and the surrounding areas offer.

Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes
(315) 955-6644
www.fortdrummch.com
Leasing Office: The Welcome Home Center in Clark Hall

Mountain Community Homes consists of more than 3,600 homes in four premier residential communities located on Fort Drum for Soldiers of all ranks with dependents. Residents enjoy an exceptional quality of service provided by a highly motivated and professional staff. In addition to the newly constructed and renovated homes, there are four 7,500-square-foot community centers at the heart of each pedestrian-friendly community, offering indoor playgrounds, pitch n' putt greens, splash parks, skate parks, a BMX track, state-of-the art fitness centers and on-site property management offices. Mountain Community Homes provides top-quality routine and emergency maintenance and award-winning programming for residents.

Each home is furnished with a refrigerator, range, garbage disposal, dishwasher and electric hook-ups for a washer and dryer. Every home has a garage, attached or separate from the home, providing storage for a vehicle and other outdoor items. Additionally, all Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes are equipped with electric garage door openers and air conditioning units. Residents are allowed a maximum of two domestic pets (i.e., dogs/cats). Aggressive breed dogs (e.g., Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, Doberman Pinschers, Chows, Presa Canario, Cane Corso, Neapolitian Mastiff, wolf and wolf hybrids) are not permitted. Exotic animals such as ferrets, snakes and tarantulas are not permitted at any time. Occupants are responsible for any damage their pets cause in or around their home.

Rent is equivalent to the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). Due to high demand, there may be a waiting list for Mountain Community Homes assignments. Visit the Welcome Home Center or website at www.fortdrummch.com for more information.

The Timbers
(315) 777-8000
www.fortdrumtimbers.com
Leasing Office: Main St., Fort Drum
The Timbers is an exciting new option for single and unaccompanied Soldiers (E-6 and above). It offers residents the convenience of modern, hassle-free living, the camaraderie of living with other Soldiers who share similar interests and lifestyles all close by in an exclusive apartment community on post. The 192 suite-style, one- and two-bedroom community is market-rate, meaning rent is not equal to BAH. Call today for an appointment to view our model.

The Lodge, an exclusive community center for The Timbers' residents, has several amenities such as a lounge with a fireplace, billiards room, mini-theater with a large screen, high definition television that includes a sound system and video gaming, free WiFi, outdoor patio/pavilion with outdoor fireplace and nature trails.

Market Rentals
www.ahrn.com
There are several quaint towns and villages within easy commute of Fort Drum, which offer over 9,000 rental properties within a 20-mile drive from post. More than 1,000 of these units are newly built within the last 3 years. As the market varies, so do the options available. The Welcome Home Center staff provides assistance with what is currently available in the marketplace and offers information on other considerations to think about in addition to rent, such as property amenities and utility costs. Visit www. ahrn.com to see some rental options currently available.

Purchase a Home
www.nnymls.com
In addition to renting, you may decide a home purchase best suits your needs. The Neighbors of Watertown, Inc. offers homebuyer education classes. To sign up for a class, call (315) 782-8497. The Welcome Home Center provides realtor, realtor information and market information. Purchasing a home is a huge investment. It is in your best interest to discuss this option with a knowledgeable consultant to be more fully informed.

Government-Leased Housing
There are a small number of individually leased homes the Army has leased short-term to accommodate financially challenged, lower ranking Soldiers with larger Families through the Domestic Lease Program. Soldiers requesting these homes must be referred by their chain of command showing a financial hardship. Accepting these homes, Soldiers will forfeit their BAH, which pays for rent and all utilities. The availability of these leased homes will end as more rentals are added to the market inventory in the next few years. Domestic lease homes are negotiated individually with private landlords; therefore, the authorization to permit pets will vary from home to home. Inform your housing counselor if your Family has a pet or intends to acquire one. Occupants are responsible for any damage their pets cause in or around their home. Visit the Welcome Home Center for more information. Contact the Welcome Home Center today at (315) 955-6644 to make a private, one-on-one housing counseling session. Again, welcome to the North Country. In no time at all, you'll be calling Fort Drum home!

Apply for Housing
In order to apply for a Domestic Lease home or Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes, visit the Welcome Home Center to be placed on the waiting list and receive more information. All incoming Families applying to live with Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes must apply within 30 days of signing into Fort Drum in order to receive an eligibility date based on your departure from the last duty station. After 30 days has elapsed, the eligibility date becomes the date of application.

Each Soldier must select an "area of preference" when applying for a home. This allows Soldiers to choose where they want to live. Soldiers may select or make changes concerning the area where they wish to live any time prior to an offer of a home. It is strongly recommended that newly arrived Soldiers and their Families get to know the areas surrounding Fort Drum off post as well as on-post housing and community sites. Each area has its own unique advantages, appeals and opportunities. Keep in mind that limiting the number of areas on your area of preference can significantly increase your housing wait time.

Please be prepared with the following documents:
• Leave Forms
• Orders to Fort Drum and all amendments
• Marriage License
• Birth Certificates for Children
• Custody/Adoption Paperwork
• Pregnancy Verification
• TDY Orders
• Special Power of Attorney
• Enlistment Contract (1st Duty Station Only)
• Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES)

Requests for reasonable accommodation or modification for a disability should be submitted in writing at the Welcome Home Center.

If a spouse wishes to sign for a home while the Soldier is deployed or TDY, the spouse is required to have a Special Power of Attorney. A sample copy can be obtained at http://www. fortdrummch.com/arriving_residents.

Priority Placement Process
Fort Drum has a tiered priority list for housing Soldiers and their Families, subject to availability.

Key & Essential
Personnel in command positions or other important positions of responsibility as determined by the Commanding General (for a list of positions that qualify, please visit the www. fortdrummch.com website or call the Welcome Home Center).

Priority 1
Soldiers assigned to the Warriors in Transition Unit (WTU) as wounded warriors who are not currently housed on post.

Priority 2
• Any new arrival to Fort Drum
• Single, expectant mothers
• Newly married Soldiers
• Current residents who have three or more Family members sharing a bedroom, applying for a moveover
• Current residents living in a non-renovated home, applying for a moveover

Priority 3
Reserved for our current residents seeking to move to a larger home. In order to be eligible to be placed on the waitlist, the resident must have a qualifying event that occurs after move-in to original home. A qualifying event is defined as:
• Current residents who gain a Family member requiring an additional bedroom. Proof of pregnancy, birth certificate, custody documentation or finalized adoption is required

Priority 4
Army Domestic Lease Residents with no other qualifying event.
• Current residents requesting a move-over who are promotable to the next rank category (e.g., JNCO to SNCO)

All moves are at the Soldier/Families' expense, except:
• Newly assigned Soldiers to Fort Drum
• Key and Essential leader moves as directed by the commanding general

Effective January 1, 2012, as a result of garrison's wish to create stability on Fort Drum and in the local economy, the following eligibility guidelines will be in place for both current and incoming Families:

Key & Essential
• Personnel as determined by the commanding general

Priority 1
• Soldiers not currently living with Mountain Community Homes assigned to the Warriors In Transition Unit (WTU) as wounded warriors

Priority 2
• Any Soldier newly assigned to Fort Drum within first 60 days of their eligibility date
• Dual military and single parents who previously cleared their home on post due to deployment
• Current residents who must have more than two people in a bedroom due to gain in family member

Priority 3
• First time applicants currently living on the economy
• Service Members who are newly arrived to Fort Drum AFTER day 61 of their incoming eligibility date
• Single expectant mothers; newly married Soldiers
• Current residents with qualifying event (gain in family member or promotion to a higher rank structure)

Priority 4
• Previous residents who moved out due to any reason other than PCS and ETS

Permissive TDY/PTDY
To use permissive temporary duty for house hunting at Fort Drum, you must have your DA Form 31 validated at the Welcome Home Center on your arrival date, prior to departing on PTDY. If you arrive after duty hours, you must immediately have your DA Form 31 validated at the Fort Drum Inn. DA Form 1747 (Status of Housing Availability) is no longer required for Soldiers departing CONUS, Alaska, and Hawaii. We do encourage in-coming Families to apply in advance by contacting the Welcome Home Center. You can apply with an advance application as soon as you receive orders to Fort Drum.

Management and Maintenance of Mountain Community Homes
Each community has a designated Community Manager, Assistant Community Manager and Resident Services Coordinators (RSCs). The community center staff is ultimately responsible for property upkeep including homes and common areas. They are responsible for enforcing standards and policies to enhance the quality of life in these communities.

Mountain Community Homes features property maintenance with 24-hour emergency service available. The centrally managed maintenance department streamlines repair services provided and reduces resident wait times.

The convenient website at www.fortdrum mch.com allows current residents to submit routine requests for service online, provide feedback, view current events, download necessary forms and learn about happenings and important information in their community.

Barracks
Single Soldier Housing
(SSH) Branch
(315) 772-6668
Fax (315) 772-6383
Clark Hall - Room A2-54
If there are further questions, call SSH at (315) 955-6644.

The SSH Branch operates under the First Sergeant's Barracks Program (FSBP). Our staff is committed to providing well maintained, safe, and clean housi

ng for our single Soldiers living on Fort Drum. For more information, call (315) 772-6668. What is FSBP?
• FSBP transfers the administrative responsibility of the day-to-day operations of the barracks from the assigned units to the garrison staff.
• It removed duties from units that distracted from their combat mission.
• FSBP operation is similar to property management/apartment management.

Typical tasks include:
• Assignments/terminations of rooms
• Key management
• Property accountability
• Utilization reporting
• Access to rooms for maintenance
• Perform "vacant quarters maintenance"

What FSBP Does
• On-site management staff during the duty day
• On-call staff for 24/7 operation
• Access to rooms (SSH maintaining key management responsibilities)
• Health and welfare inspections
• Maintenance workers
• Provide leaders keys to a few transient rooms for their use for unforeseen circumstances and inbound/outbound Soldiers
• Coordinate and track maintenance requests
• Assignment/termination of rooms

In-processing
• New Soldiers report to the SSH Branch (Clark Hall) with unit sponsor (must be an E-5 or above)
• Inform SSH staff of assigned unit
• Complete in-processing packet
• Receive short briefing, copy of cleaning standards, key to room, and sign hand receipt
• Inspect room, return completed acceptance inspection sheet within five business days
• E-6s (SSG) and above will live on the economy in market housing
• Geographic Bachelors will live on the economy in market housing

Eligibility Requirements
Qualifying Soldiers must meet the following criteria:
• Soldier must be single and not collecting BAH for any dependent
• Dual Military - a copy of the Soldier's Enlisted Record Brief (ERB) is required to prove that the spouse is not stationed at Fort Drum
• If a Soldier is recently divorced - a copy of the final divorce decree and a completed DD Form 5960 is required to show that the BAH entitlement has been stopped.
• Soldier must be SGT or below

Out-Processing
Soldiers must schedule clearing appointments 48-72 hours in advance.
Soldiers must clear the Housing Division in Clark Hall prior to clearing the installation.

Certificates of Non-Availability
CNAs are issued by Public Works, Housing Division once approved by the Public Works director.

The approval to receive BAH is based upon 95 percent use rate of the entire installation footprint, not the Soldier's specific company or brigade.

Visit our website at www.drum.army.mil and click on Single Soldier Housing Branch to view what our 1 + 1 and 2 + 2 and Type A (private room/private bath) rooms look like. Furnishings include, but are not limited to, loft beds, mattress, five-drawer chest, desk with hutch and light, desk chair, refrigerator, and microwave. Dayrooms in each building include a flat screen television, chairs, love seat, couches, card tables, pool tables and foosball tables.