Coast Guard: Better Feedback Collection and Information Could Enhance Housing Program
Fast Facts
Many Coast Guard stations are near vacation destinations or in remote areas—which can make it hard for Coast Guard service members to find affordable housing. Service members told us they've had issues finding annual rentals in some vacation areas dominated by seasonal rentals. And in remote areas, like parts of Alaska, adequate housing can mean a long commute.
The Coast Guard hasn't conducted a service-wide survey about members' housing challenges since 2012. If the Coast Guard routinely collected this feedback it would be better able to respond to members' housing needs. We recommended that it do so, among other recommendations.
Coast Guard Station Menemsha on Martha's Vineyard, MA
Highlights
What GAO Found
Around 41 percent of U.S. Coast Guard units are located in remote areas or high vacation rental areas, or both (see figure below), and military personnel generally rotate every 3 to 4 years. While most Coast Guard service members receive a private sector housing allowance, the service manages its housing program—including more than 2,500 government-owned housing units throughout the U.S. and its territories—using various policies and procedures. Coast Guard service members and spouses told GAO that certain areas can create challenges related to the affordability and availability of private sector housing, which the Coast Guard relies upon for most members.
The Coast Guard has not conducted a service-wide survey of service members on their housing experiences and challenges since 2012. Establishing a process to routinely collect and use such feedback from service members and their spouses would better position the Coast Guard to manage its housing program to meet service member needs.
Coast Guard Units Located in Areas that are Either Remote, Contain Majority High Vacation Rentals, or Both, as of 2023
GAO identified 10 Department of Defense (DOD) statutory housing authorities that Coast Guard officials stated could potentially benefit the service. For example, DOD has the authority to enter into utility service contracts for periods up to 10 years, as well as to enter into multiyear energy or fuel contracts for military installations. Coast Guard officials told GAO that having similar statutory authorities could be beneficial and may result in cost savings to the service. Assessing the extent of benefits from the 10 DOD authorities and developing a legislative proposal to obtain certain statutory authorities, as appropriate, could better position the Coast Guard to manage its housing program, as well as support its service members and dependents.
Why GAO Did This Study
The Coast Guard has over 41,000 active-duty military personnel stationed across the U.S. and its territories. Coast Guard units are often situated along major waterways and coastlines in remote areas or areas where most of the available housing is seasonal.
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 includes provisions for GAO to review the Coast Guard's housing program. This report addresses (1) how the Coast Guard manages its housing program, (2) the extent to which the Coast Guard collected and used service member feedback and other quality information to manage the program, and (3) the extent to which the Coast Guard has considered potentially beneficial DOD housing authorities.
GAO analyzed Coast Guard policies, program documentation, and Coast Guard and DOD statutory housing authorities. GAO used Coast Guard and other data to determine the proportion of Coast Guard units located in remote areas, in areas with a high density of vacation rental properties, or both. GAO interviewed Coast Guard officials, toured housing at a non-generalizable sample of three bases, and met with base officials and housing residents, including spouses in Alameda, CA; Cape Cod, MA; and Kodiak, AK.
Recommendations
GAO is making three recommendations, including that the Coast Guard collect and use service-wide housing feedback and assess 10 DOD housing authorities for potential benefits. The Coast Guard agreed.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| United States Coast Guard | The Commandant of the Coast Guard should establish a process to collect and use service-wide housing feedback from service members and spouses on a routine basis. (Recommendation 1) |
In February 2024, we found several areas where the Coast Guard could be better informed on service member housing needs and perspectives. We recommended that the Coast Guard establish a process to collect and use service-wide housing feedback from personnel and spouses on a routine basis. The Coast Guard concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. As of February 2024, the Coast Guard indicated that its Office of Military Housing will establish a process to collect and use service-wide housing feedback from service members and spouses on a routine basis. Specifically, the office will emulate recurring Department of Defense Military Housing Surveys by releasing an initial Coast Guard Housing Survey no later than December 31, 2024, after which, in consultation with senior Coast Guard leadership, it will determine how best to use the feedback collected from service members, as appropriate. The Coast Guard estimates it will complete these actions by March 31, 2025. Establishing a process to collect and use such feedback from service members and spouses on a routine basis would better position the Coast Guard to manage its housing policies and procedures toward meeting service member needs. In addition, it would also help inform Coast Guard awareness of housing experiences that could affect morale, welfare, and readiness, as well as personnel retention. As of July 2024, the Coast Guard planned to implement an annual recurring housing survey to identify issues and gauge the level of customer satisfaction with the quality of military housing services and facilities. The survey would also record satisfaction with private sector housing and document challenges faced by service members. Coast Guard reported that the survey's statement of work and questionnaire have been drafted and were under review by leadership. Once approved, Coast Guard plans to issue a solicitation for a contract to conduct this survey, with anticipated award by December 31, 2024. We will continue to monitor the establishment of the process to collect and use service-wide data and assess the extent to which it addresses our recommendation.
|
| United States Coast Guard | The Commandant of the Coast Guard should ensure that it collects information on beneficial housing practices from field units and shares that information across the service using existing mechanisms or by establishing a new mechanism for this purpose, as appropriate. (Recommendation 2) |
In February 2024, we found that the Coast Guard could improve its collection and sharing of beneficial housing practices to help mitigate the loss of knowledge and experience on local housing issues as personnel change duty stations. We recommended that the Coast Guard ensure it collects such information from field units and shares it across the service using existing mechanisms or by establishing a new mechanism for this purpose, as appropriate. The Coast Guard concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. As of February 2024, the Coast Guard indicated that its Office of Military Housing will ensure that its Housing Surveys, the first of which will be released by December 31, 2024, incorporates information on beneficial housing practices from field units and that survey results are shared across the service using existing or new mechanisms, as appropriate. The Coast Guard estimates it will complete these actions by June 30, 2025. Ensuring that it collects information on beneficial housing practices from field units, and shares that information across the service using existing mechanisms or by establishing a new mechanism for this purpose, could help the Coast Guard more effectively manage housing in different areas of responsibility. As of July 2024, the Coast Guard reported that it will continue to communicate best housing practices within and across the service, and will promote the use of an internal sharing portal to document these practices. Additionally, upon completion of its first annual housing survey, the Coast Guard will determine what, if any, additional methods might be appropriate for sharing beneficial housing practices throughout the service. We will continue to monitor the Coast Guard's actions and assess the extent to which it addresses our recommendation.
|
| United States Coast Guard | The Commandant of the Coast Guard should assess the extent to which the 10 DOD statutory housing authorities identified in this report could be beneficial to the service and develop a legislative proposal, as appropriate. (Recommendation 3) |
In February 2024, we found that the Coast Guard had not assessed the extent of benefits it could achieve through obtaining 10 statutory housing authorities currently available to the Department of Defense. We recommended that the Coast Guard do so and develop a legislative proposal, as appropriate. The Coast Guard concurred with this recommendation and said it would take steps to implement it. As of February 2024, the Coast Guard indicated that its Office of Civil Engineering, supported by its Office of Military Housing and Office of General Law, will evaluate the extent to which the ten Department of Defense statutory housing authorities identified by GAO in the report could be beneficial to Coast Guard. Once this evaluation is complete, the Office of Civil Engineering, supported by the other two offices, will develop Legislative Change Proposal(s) to create parity with Department of Defense statutory housing authorities which Coast Guard determines to be beneficial and provide them to senior Coast Guard leadership for consideration, as appropriate. The Coast Guard estimates it will complete these actions by June 30, 2025. By assessing the extent of benefits from the 10 DOD authorities it already indicated could potentially benefit the service, and, as appropriate, developing a legislative proposal to obtain certain statutory authorities, the Coast Guard could be better positioned to manage its housing program, as well as support its service members and dependents. As of July 2024, the Coast Guard reported that it had completed an evaluation of the 10 statutory authorities we identified and concluded that Coast Guard could benefit from a select number. The Coast Guard reported that it would work internally to develop a legislative change proposal seeking these authorities. We will continue to monitor the Coast Guard's actions and assess the extent to which it addresses our recommendation.
|