BAH FALLS SHORT FOR MANY FAMILIES

摘要

Many active-duty military families who live outside installations are paying more than $200 a month out of pocket for housing costs above what they're getting in their Basic Allowance for Housing, according to a newly released survey. "For military families, finding housing that fulfills both location and family needs can be a costly balancing act," stated researchers in the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, conducted by Blue Star Families in collaboration with Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families. And with greater out-of-pocket housing costs comes increased financial stress, the researchers found in their analysis. By law, Basic Allowance for Housing is designed to cover, on average, 95 percent of service members' housing rental and utility costs in the private sector, and varies by location, rank and whether there are dependents. Those living in the local community have varying costs that may be more or less than their BAH.