Why Fort Drum?
With the growth of the 10th Mountain Division (LI) over recent years, the need for soldier housing has become greater than ever before. Documented in the GAR Housing Market study in 2006, there are 17,532 soldiers stationed at Fort Drum, with roughly 1,622 of those soldiers eligible for Timbers accommodations. At Fort Drum, unaccompanied soldiers ranking E6 or higher are granted a basic allowance for housing (BAH). They may not reside in the barracks and must pursue market options. Until now, those options were limited to off-post only. A 2004 Housing Market Analysis initiated by the Army and validated through senior enlisted single-soldier focus groups determined that the Fort Drum market area has a severe shortfall in both the quantity and quality of housing available to soldiers. Current on-post family housing can accommodate roughly 35 percent of the need, so unaccompanied soldiers must compete with military families in finding somewhere to live in an already stressed local housing
