Newly appointed privatized housing advocate backs residents

  • Published
  • By Lauren Russell
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Base officials recently appointed an advocate for active duty on-base privatized housing residents here.

The new position follows the signing of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative Tenant Bill of Rights earlier this year, which serves to ensure on-base residents receive quality housing and fair treatment from the Air Force partners that operate and maintain privatized housing.

The role will provide a vital resource for active duty members should the need arise; the goal being to provide appropriate resolution or preventing unnecessary escalation of a concern or discrepancy while residing in base housing.

David Kedzierski, installation privatized housing resident advocate, will serve as the liaison between privatized housing residents, the Military Housing Office, the privatized housing project owner, and the installation commander for issues pertaining to privatized housing residents’ rights. 

“As the liaison, I’ll study the trends and data from our housing residents, and work to identify problems that may be across the board,” said Kedzierski. “From there, I can work with base leaders and the privatized partner to find a solution that benefits everyone.”

The Air Force Military Housing Office, part of the 66th Civil Engineering Division, remains the first point of contact for all housing residents to address questions or concerns about Hanscom Family Housing and Hunt, the privatized housing owner.

The Military Housing Office routinely checks in with residents to ensure satisfaction is achieved with completion of routine requests made to the privatized partner. While the Military Housing Office’s duties also include resident referral and privatized housing compliance oversight, the resident advocate reports directly to the Air Base Group leadership and the primary duty is to advocate on the military residents behalf.

Kedzierski serves as an additional point of contact for active duty Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard residents, as well as National Guard and Reserve members while on active duty orders. All other eligible tenants, such as federal civilians or retirees, can consult with the installation Staff Judge Advocate.

Kedzierski plans to establish and be a part of a resident council comprised of volunteers, base leaders, and Military Housing Office representatives, to improve the lines of communication between all parties.

As a retired Air Force master sergeant, Kedzierski has personal experience as an on-base resident and said he is looking forward to the opportunity to advocate for Hanscom residents. However, he asks that residents attempt to resolve concerns at the lowest level before elevating up the chain of command.

“We have to give the Privatized Partner an opportunity to resolve issues first, but if the timeliness or the fix is ineffective, then we can start our process,” he said. “I’m here to do the research and the legwork so our members don’t have to go in on their own.”

Residents can contact Kedzierski at David.Kedzierski.1@us.af.mil.