NAS Oceana Holds PPV Housing Town Hall Meetings

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, UNITED STATES

10.25.2019

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Mark Mahmod 

Naval Air Station Oceana

Naval Air Station Oceana leadership held public private venture (PPV) housing town hall meetings at Lincoln Military Housing’s Wadsworth Shores and Midway Manor communities Oct. 23 and 24.

The purpose of the town hall meetings was to bring Naval Air Station Oceana leadership, representatives from Lincoln Military Housing, Naval Air Station Oceana housing personnel, and residents from the communities together to exchange concerns and ideas to improve upon the PPV housing provided by Lincoln Military Housing.

Earlier this year, issues with Navy PPV housing made national news when families living in poor conditions were not receiving the necessary maintenance and assistance they required.

Captain John Hewitt, Naval Air Station Oceana commanding officer, said, though he cannot directly order Lincoln Military Housing to perform certain actions because they are a private company, he can advocate directly for military families who are experiencing issues.

“As part of base leadership, I’m here to be an advocate for the military families, listen to their concerns, and bridge the gap between our Lincoln Military Housing partners and the families,” said Hewitt.

Several residents from Wadsworth Shores and Midway Manor attended the town hall meetings to voice ongoing concerns and discuss the positive changes that were made since the beginning of 2019.

Feb. 23, former Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russell Smith released a statement saying that every Sailor residing in PPV or government housing would have the opportunity for a visit from their command at their residences. The purpose of the visits was to raise awareness of living conditions, allow command leadership to observe issues, and understand actions taken to address them.

Hewitt said Naval Air Station Oceana would continue to hold PPV housing town hall meetings even after the major problems are solved because he feels it is the right thing to do.

“Based on where we were at the beginning of 2019, I hope to see continued progress in the conditions of the homes at Lincoln Military Housing,” said Hewitt. “This is our third round of town hall meetings, and from what I’ve seen and heard, we’ve had a lot of progress.”

Sailors continuing to experience unresolved issues with PPV housing should contact the Naval Air Station Oceana housing office at [phone] and notify their chain of command if the issues do not get resolved in a timely manner.

• Date Taken: 10.25.2019
• Date Posted: 11.15.2019 08:15
• Story ID: 351875
• Location: VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, US