Residents of Fort Drum’s privatized housing gave their homes a high score in a recent tenant satisfaction survey. Fort Drum ranked sixth in overall satisfaction among 43 installations under Army Residential Communities Initiative (RCI) Housing and first among Installation Management Command-Readiness installations. (File photo)
Fort Drum privatized housing scores well
in Army resident satisfaction survey
Mike Strasser
Fort Drum Garrison Public Affairs
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Sept. 9, 2022) – The results of the 2022 housing tenant satisfaction survey ranked Fort Drum sixth in overall satisfaction among 43 installations under Army Residential Communities Initiative (RCI) Housing and first among Installation Management Command-Readiness installations.
Fort Drum housing received a score of 82.4 (Very Good), which is a point lower from a year ago, and two residential areas received an A List Award for customer service excellence.
“The overall score is a direct reflection of how well Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes (MCH) strives to ensure that residents are satisfied with family housing,” said Jennifer Berry, Fort Drum RCI housing manager. “We take this opportunity to recognize where we can find avenues of improvement and become more involved.”
Berry said that the MCH staff organizes events for residents that help them feel connected to the community, such as the monthly “Coffee with the Chiefs” forum with police and fire officials, and holiday decoration contests. Family members are encouraged to join the resident advisory board where they address concerns in their housing area and potentially affect change.
“I think it’s also important to point out in the survey that the Timbers, our privatized unaccompanied personnel housing, received their own satisfaction score of 95.6, bringing the average combined score to 85.4,” Berry said.
Berry said that the interior and exterior renovations to the Adirondack Creek community and other homes is progressing as planned. Currently, 242 exterior renovations and 62 interior renovations have been completed since March.
“With 1,044 homes being touched by renovations, it will take a bit of time before everything is complete,” she said. “However, the results have exceeded expectations, and these upgrades are certainly bringing our junior enlisted family housing to a new level.”
Col. James Zacchino Jr., Fort Drum garrison commander, said that he appreciated those who participated in the survey and he encourages more residents to feel comfortable with providing feedback about their housing experience.
“We are incredibly pleased to have scored as well as we did, but rest assured, we also see where there is work to be done and we’re getting after it,” he said. “We owe it to every Soldier and family member at Fort Drum to provide them with quality homes and safe communities, and I’m confident that our Mountain Community Homes and RCI teams are committed in that effort.”