Fort Hood families complain about housing conditions, say promised improvements never materialized

FORT HOOD, Texas (KWTX) - Some families at Fort Hood told KWTX they’re frustrated with living conditions on post and tired of hearing promises of coming improvements.

Lily Kelley and her family moved on post in October 2019, and not long after, they started getting sick. “Our daughter would get ear infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, just over and over again,” Kelley said.

She said it was never a first thought that their home was the reason they were so sick, but then they started developing rashes and other illnesses from breathing in mold. As more problems arose, they say, their cries for help were ignored.

“We had a flood in our laundry room, and sewage water came up to about our calves and we had to scoop it out manually because no one came,” Kelley explained.

She said they didn’t even live there for a full year, because the conditions were so bad, choosing to live in their car until they found a safer home. They even took legal action in 2020, to no avail.

“It’s been a while but we have been working towards a resolution. We just aren’t getting very far right now, we are just kind of waiting,” Kelley said.

They aren’t alone. The Martin family moved in during the summer of 2022, and said their home was not even clean when they saw it the first time. It still wasn’t clean when they arrived to move in.

“The bathroom, I guess, the vinyl that they used was very nasty and they, like, painted wax over it so you couldn’t scrub it yourself,” said Esther Martin.

She said when they took the issue to the housing department, it took more than two weeks before help arrived, but all they had was a “Band-Aid fix.”

“When they came out, the guys were super friendly, but when I realized what they were doing, they weren’t removing the nasty flooring, they just came and replaced the vinyl tiles by placing new ones on top,” Martin explained.

Kelley further said the post commander’s wife played a big role in helping families find answers. She says that his wife was able to get testing done to examine the air quality in their home.

“That wouldn’t have happened without her,” Kelley said.

KWTX reached out to Fort Hood to give officials on post the opportunity to address the concerns of families like the Martins and the Kelleys.

A spokesperson on post emailed KWTX the following statement:

“At Fort Hood Family Housing, we work diligently to provide a home in a community where residents can live, work, and thrive by thoroughly addressing all maintenance issues and safety concerns brought to our attention in a timely manner.

“Through an investment of more than $420M, we are actively making community enhancements, including the construction of more than 580 new junior enlisted homes, roof replacements on more than 2,600 homes, and renovations on more than 1,300 homes.

“Our team will continue to invest the necessary time, energy, and resources to make Fort Hood Family Housing a community that service members and their families are proud to call home.”

Fort Hood said residents who are experiencing a maintenance issue should contact the Maintenance Solution Center (MSC) at (254) 532-3133 or submit a maintenance request online.

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