Captain’s Column

Capt. Philip Brock Commanding Officer

It has been a busy few weeks around the base. One of the top concerns right now for the Navy as a whole is housing. I know that I have bombarded many of you with emails, a town hall, Facebook posts, and even a Facebook video about housing. I am adding this column to further drive home the message to our housing residents that we are very interested in ensuring that those living on base have a safe and healthy living environment.

There have been some horror stories with respect to the condition of homes in various locations across the United States, but thankfully I have not heard those kinds of stories here at NASCC. Overall, I strongly believe that the base and our PPV partner have a great working relationship and are trying to give our residents the best service we can.

As a command, my philosophy is to provide the best customer service to our tenants as possible. In this case the tenants are our housing residents. We look to meet this customer service goal by three lanes: timely communication, constant improvement, and teamwork. As related to housing, the goal is to leverage the communication between the residents and PPV maintenance staff to fix, repair and improve their homes. The best way to achieve this goal is through the teamwork of the resident, housing office, and PPV.

Clear, concise, and timely communication is imperative in this case. When an issue arises, timely notification of the problem to PPV and the housing office is crucial. Once notified, there are time-limits within which maintenance should respond. Depending on the nature of the issue, the response may fall under Emergency, Urgent or Routine time requirements. The timelines set for maintenance personnel to respond for emergency, urgent, and routine trouble calls are one, two, and 24 hours, respectively. The goals for completing repairs for those categories are 24 hours for Emergencies, and three days for Urgent and Routine calls. If the time frame for a response is not met, then the residents should call again.

Residents are also highly encouraged to remain engaged with housing/PPV until the repairs are complete. Additionally, items will break and things will require attention as a matter of normal wear and tear, and even good repairs may not always fix all issues in one visit. Residents should not hesitate to call again if an item needs more attention.

It is important for residents to understand there is a process if they are not satisfied with the repairs made to their home. The three-step issue-resolution process is established for residents to elevate their concerns if they are not being handled appropriately. The first step is the trouble call made to PPV. If a fix is not as expected, or the resident is not satisfied, then it is time to make the call and get another visit. This call should be to the PPV management, and this is the second step of the process. If the issue needs to be elevated again, the third step is to call the NASCC housing director.

It may get lost in the shuffle because the ‘rent’ is automatically deducted, but you are paying good money to live in these homes. Your money is spent with the understanding that you will enjoy a certain level of service, and I am committed to ensuring that you receive that level of service.

I appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we now work through the current housing outreach requirements. No one should ever feel they will be treated poorly for reporting a problem. I know the housing office and PPV are very interested in your satisfaction. I strongly believe that by working together and communicating deficiencies we can correct any problems that may exist or develop in the future.

Thanks again. I’ll see you around the base!