SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- More than 250 Department of the Air Force housing professionals met in San Antonio May 15-18 to learn, network and hone skills to support Airmen, Guardians and their families’ housing needs.
The Air Force Civil Engineer Center hosted the 2023 Air Force Global Housing Symposium for military housing managers, unaccompanied housing managers and resident advocates. It was the first in-person training event since 2019, and focused on supporting residents, housing oversight, and compliance and customer service.
“The last in-person housing symposium, held in 2019, revealed major problems among Air Force housing and ongoing scrutiny of the Air Force housing program,” said Brig. Gen. William Kale, AFCEC commander. “This year’s symposium provided strategy, policy and training to ensure our Airmen, Guardians and families have access to excellent housing facilities and services.”
The symposium offered more than 80 housing-related courses. General housing, unaccompanied housing, and privatized housing topics included understanding tenant rights, taking care of assets, helping families find homes, strategizing for the future and conflict resolution.
In his keynote speech, Robert Moriarty, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, said the symposium was designed to offer real-world solutions to problems encountered daily by housing professionals. He also recognized that installation housing teams play an important role in detecting and managing housing concerns.
“Strong housing professionals enable the Air Force to provide quality homes and services to the enterprise,” Moriarty said. “I truly believe that we can capture a lot of our families’ issues early to avoid problems from growing.”
During the event, housing professionals also shared knowledge and best practices in support of growing and sustaining the housing career field and retaining a skilled workforce.
Master Sgt. Robert Radford, unaccompanied housing superintendent at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, said “Airmen First” was a driving incentive for him and fellow attendees to be vocal to leadership and squeeze in everything they could during the week in San Antonio.
“When I first got the job as superintendent, I attended the training virtually and it’s not the same experience,” Radford said. “I have already met so many people and learned so much that I can pass on. I can take what I’m learning here back and push my team to newer heights.”
Taking care of service members and their families is an operational imperative for the Air Force. AFCEC’s housing program strives to provide safe and comfortable housing that enables the ability to recruit and retain the people needed to lead the most powerful Air, Space and Cyber Force worldwide.
“It is important that our housing professionals are knowledgeable and they understand processes,” said Col. Jimmy Jeoun, chief of the Air Force Housing Division at AFCEC. “Part of the value of this symposium is networking and leaving here knowing who to call to get the answers you need. It was critical to my team to host an event that allowed for knowledge and contacts to be shared with the purpose of strengthening the housing community.”
For more information about Air Force housing, visit Housing (af.mil).