A new report from the Senate Standing Committee on Inquiry into the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee said Balfour was “continuing to harass” US servicemen and their families and mismanagement. The report, backed by thousands of documents and nearly two dozen interviews, reveals what subcommittee officials describe as systemic problems and models across the country in Balfour-run military housing units.
Balfour currently serves approximately 150,000 residents in 43,000 homes based in dozens of Army, Navy and Air Force bases in 26 states, according to the report. The investigation focuses on two bases, Fort Gordon in Georgia and Shepard Air Force Base in Texas, where officials say they have found many similar situations.
Sen. A Democrat from Georgia, Georgia, chaired the report’s subcommittee, and Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin chaired the Republican subcommittee.
The report describes numerous examples of “ignoring safety concerns and environmental hazards that put military families at risk.” Overall, the investigation revealed that the homes were in poor condition when military families moved in, things in the home were broken and requests for repairs, including those for families with children with pre-existing health problems, were ignored, according to subcommittee officials. . The report also found omissions and inaccuracies in Balfour’s database that officials believe have affected what the company has rewarded military services. These types of behavior “bear striking similarities to the types of behavior that Balfour pleaded guilty in December 2021 to actions he took between 2013 and 2019,” officials said in a report.
A spokesman for Balfour Beatty said the company was “disappointed” with the report because it “does not accurately reflect the company’s level of commitment to its military and their families or acknowledges the significant steps taken to address the small number of complaints that were discussed. ”The spokesman said the report contained“ many inaccuracies and misstatements ”and that the company had tried to correct them before the report was released on Tuesday.
“As we continually strive to improve, as the operator of 43,000 residences, we will inevitably have to deal with challenges,” the spokesman said. “The company remains focused on the safety, health and well-being of its residents and on providing quality homes, supported by fast and efficient customer service and support.”
In one case, detailed in the report, the daughter of an army captain was diagnosed with eczema after living in one of the Balfour housing units. After a dozen visits to an allergy specialist, the doctor eventually told the family that the eczema was probably caused by untreated mold growth in the family home. The report says Balfour “suggested” that its inspections did not reveal mold and also did not document the family’s repeated complaints of mold in the company’s internal system. After the family moved, Balfour sent the army captain a notice to raise hundreds of dollars, which Balfour eventually described as an “official error.”
Other families who have family members with pre-existing medical conditions have requested repairs, which are often ignored by Balfour, causing dangerous conditions, according to the report.
In one case, a family made two dozen requests to have Balfour repair a leak in the roof of their bedroom and mold in their home. The serviceman’s wife had a previous immune disease and had increased respiratory symptoms, which she said were caused by mold. Eventually, Balfour repaired the roof and dealt with the mold. And while his own records reveal the presence of mold, his internal database, which is used by the military to access company award fees, does not show a record of a mold work order during the family’s many requests, according to a report. .
On Tuesday, Balfour executives answered questions about the report during a Senate hearing, which will include testimony from military families affected by the company’s alleged negligence. The purpose of the hearings is to draw more attention to the issue and to highlight the evidence found in this investigation, according to officials of the subcommittee.
This story was updated with additional developments on Tuesday.
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