‘Can’t Live With Poop Falling From The Ceiling’: Army Families Bash Military Housing

Wives of active soldiers in the U.S. Army railed against on-base living conditions before the Senate on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Military Times reported.

Fort Gordon in Georgia was in the spotlight as one military wife, Joy Viera, told Congress that on the first night her family moved in, “Water with poop was falling into our kitchen, with our groceries we’d just bought and onto our dog bed,” Military Times reported. Viera was one of three Army wives that spoke out at the session conducted by Democratic Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff.

WATCH LIVE: This morning, Sen. Jon Ossoff continues his hunt for answers about the problems with family housing at Fort Gordon. He’ll hear from families and Army officials. https://t.co/R11OP4fAM2

— News 12 NBC 26 (@WRDW_WAGT) April 18, 2023

Viera claims she notified the company managing housing on the base, Balfour Beatty Communities, about the state of her home only to be displaced, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Army Halts Multi-Million Dollar Ad Campaign After Jonathan Majors Arrested On Assault, Strangulation Charges)

“We can’t use any of the bathrooms,” she said. “We can’t live with poop falling from the ceiling.” She claims she was told to “move to a hotel in an unfamiliar area, with two kids, two dogs and everything [they] had brought with [them],” according to the outlet. Viera also claims to have found dead bugs and mold in the vents in a second home.

Collectively, the wives described the state of the living quarters as being tainted by “mold, sewage backups, water intrusion and vermin infestation,” the outlet reported. (RELATED: ‘Don’t Insult My Intelligence’: Mother Of Murdered Army Sgt. Spars With Democratic Rep In Crime Hearing)

The report noted that this is not an isolated incident on U.S. military grounds. Ossoff and his staff have reportedly been probing housing problems across the country since he assumed office in 2021.

“We’ve heard from families about the emotional toll this takes on parents, the health impact on kids and on childhood development, and the impact it has on the morale and readiness of U.S. Army soldiers who defend the nation,” Ossoff said, the Military Times reported. (RELATED: Dick Durbin Invites Chief Justice Roberts To Give Rare Congressional Testimony)

“We have multiple two-way communication channels in place to maintain transparency into maintenance requests, keep residents informed, and allow them to share their feedback and raise concerns,” the property management company told Military Times about their absence at the session.

The Army is reportedly hiring 23 engineering specialists to focus on housing and ramp up safety measures, the outlet noted.