The Fight for Safer Military Family Housing

For 22 years, Erica Thompson has lived the life so many military spouses know well. Moves. Deployments. Adjustments. Making a home wherever the military sends your family. But in 2023, after moving into privatized military housing, Erica’s family encountered something they could not simply adjust to: persistent humidity, visible mold, and a cascade of unexplained health issues that would ultimately change the course of their lives.

What began as high indoor humidity quickly escalated. Dehumidifiers ran constantly, collecting gallons of water each day. When mold was finally identified inside the walls, remediation efforts lacked proper containment, contaminating much of the home. Soon, Erica, and her five children began experiencing troubling symptoms. Fainting. Tachycardia. Nausea. Headaches. Rashes. Even the family dog developed seizures and mobility issues before they ultimately had to say goodbye.

The damage extended beyond health. Toxic mold was found in or on most of their belongings. Couches. Mattresses. Bookshelves. Air purifiers. A microwave. Thirteen years of homeschool curriculum, irreplaceable drawings her children had made, and even their family Bible had to be discarded. Despite the extensive property loss, the family was not compensated.

Erica’s children are still undergoing medical care today.

What shocked Erica even more than her own experience was discovering how widespread similar stories were across installations. And when she traveled to Capitol Hill in January to share her family’s story, she encountered another surprise: many congressional offices believed conditions in privatized military housing had improved.

“They were shocked,” she explained. Lawmakers and staff assumed that reforms put in place in recent years had sufficiently addressed housing concerns. But Erica’s experience revealed lingering gaps, especially when it comes to mold, humidity, and long-term health impacts.

That realization helped propel the introduction of the Military Occupancy Living Defense Act, also known as the MOLD Act. While the Military Housing Privatization Initiative Tenant Bill of Rights created important protections for families, the MOLD Act is specific to mold and environmental conditions inside military housing.

The legislation would establish clear standards for mold and humidity, mandate independent third-party inspections by contractors not affiliated with housing companies and require inspections in several critical scenarios. If a family reports illness potentially linked to the home, an inspection would be triggered, even if mold is not visible. If a family vacates due to health concerns, the home would need to be inspected before another tenant moves in. Inspections would also be required after remediation to ensure proper processes were followed and contaminants were fully addressed.

Equally important, the bill emphasizes transparency. Maintenance records and contamination findings would be documented and accessible to families and their medical providers. The legislation also allows access to inspection records from the previous seven years, closing potential data gaps and ensuring continuity of information.

For Erica, that transparency is critical. Without clear documentation of contaminants, families and physicians are left guessing at appropriate treatment.

Yet even with legislation moving forward, Erica knows many families remain silent.

Some may assume that persistent leaks, musty smells, or recurring illnesses are simply part of military life. Others may fear retaliation. And some may have spoken up before, only to encounter roadblocks and resign themselves to living in substandard conditions.

But silence, she believes, only allows the cycle to continue.

“One family’s story can impact a lot of people,” Erica said. As her family began sharing their experience, other families started recognizing similar patterns in their own homes.

Military spouses, she noted, carry a unique awareness. “As military spouses, we know that if our kids are getting sick in the home, who knows who’s going to be in the home after us.”

That awareness fuels her advocacy. The MOLD Act will not directly benefit her own family, as they have since moved out of military housing. But she remains deeply committed to ensuring safer conditions for others.

“These rules aren’t going to impact us directly because we’re not living in military housing,” she said, “but it’s going to have a big impact on the future force and the families that are currently living on base.”

Erica encourages families not only to speak up about their own concerns, but also to support one another. “Share if you know of other situations in housing. It’s also important to support other families. If someone says, ‘hey my house is leaking,’ say ‘I think I’ve heard something about these issues, you might want to check it out, there’s a bill.’”

Policy change can feel distant and slow. But Erica has witnessed firsthand that lawmakers do respond when constituents bring forward clear data and lived experiences.

“Supporting legislation now, sharing it now is important because Congress DOES listen,” she said. “They do want to hear from their constituents, and they do want to know what’s going on. It’s not until we bring issues directly to them with data that they start to make policies and make change and create new laws. They don’t always have the background that we uniquely have being in the military and living through it right now.”

Military families, she added, bring a perspective that cannot be replicated.

“We have a unique perspective to give that is valued by these congressional offices. They DO want to know, and they DO care.”

For Erica, advocacy is not just about present conditions. It is about the long view.

“Policy changes we make now impact our kids later if they decide to go into the military.”

And perhaps most importantly, it is about recognizing personal agency in a system that can often feel overwhelming.

“All it takes is one family to start this domino effect of change. You can BE the domino.”

There is still work to be done. Most people do not see beyond the headlines, but meaningful work is happening behind the scenes. If you look beyond the noise of the day, you will find families like Erica’s fighting for safer homes and organizations like the National Military Family Association standing alongside them.

NMFA supports the MOLD Act because military families deserve safe, healthy housing and transparent standards that protect their well-being. No family should have to choose between serving our nation and safeguarding their children’s health.

Now is the time to add your voice. We invite you to use our Military Family Action Center to send a letter to Congress urging them to support, co-sponsor, and pass the MOLD Act. Together, We’re Stronger®.