Q: What is the Navy policy regarding appropriating a four bedroom townhouse to a civilian family who has two children living with them and two children away in college? Shouldn’t they be living in a three bedroom townhouse? I recently spoke to a civilian who just moved from Okinawa to Yokosuka who could not get a four bedroom townhouse on base because none are available. It is not fair to him and others like him who have all of their children present. Can you please explain the rules applied to this situation?

---

A: Thank you for sending your inquiry to the Action Line. Without knowing the specifics of the situation you have described, a definitive answer cannot be provided to your question. However, some of the Navy’s general assignment policies are given below and may be related to your inquiry.

Hopefully, you will be able to extract the answers you are seeking from these assignment criteria. Also, there are cases when waivers to policy have been individually granted at the convenience of the government. It is always best to contact the Housing Welcome Center and discuss on a case-by-case basis any questions you may have concerning eligibility.

In general, eligibility for civilian personnel is based on the same criteria as their military counterpart; which is a combination of pay grade and, or family composition, as follows:

• Officer rank O6 (Civilian rank GS 15): Eligible for four bedrooms.

• Family composition considerations. Assignment to housing units for eligible personnel is supported by the following where inventory allows:

Dependent parents will be assigned one bedroom per couple if married and separate bedrooms if not married. Where inventory allows, and unless waived in writing by the sponsor, each dependent child should have a private bedroom. If inventory does not support, assignment will be based upon the following criteria:

• No more than two children should share a bedroom, unless installation commander determines the bedroom is large enough to accommodate more children.

• A child 6 years of age or older should not share a bedroom with a child of the opposite sex.

• A child 10 years of age or older is eligible for a separate bedroom and should not be required to share a bedroom, provided inventory allows.

• An unmarried child under 23 years of age who is enrolled in an institution of higher education and dependent on the member for more than one-half of the child’s support will be included as a family member when determining bedroom eligibility, provided the child will be residing with the sponsor six consecutive months a year.

• When a live-in aide is approved by the housing authority, the live-in aide will be eligible for a separate bedroom.

• When the sponsor or spouse is pregnant (requires doctor certification), the sponsor may apply for and occupy housing with a separate bedroom for the expected child.

After initial assignment, members are required to notify housing whenever there is a change in their dependents status. Change in dependency status does not automatically result in a move to a smaller unit as each situation is thoroughly reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Factors considered include; how much time does this person have left on tour; what is the current waiting period for homes in their category; is there funding to move this person, as it would be a government directed move; are funds available for the added cost of another change-of-occupancy maintenance in the contract, for civilians we also look at how much time they have left on their 5-year rule, and so forth.

Contact the Yokosuka Housing Welcome Center at 243-9037/4663 for more information.