JBER offers support for spouses of deployed service members

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kyle Johnson
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Aurora Military Housing offers new and old programs to spouses of deployed service members on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska that may increase overall quality of life.

Two in particular are the deployed spouse support program and the at-home refuse pickup service, both of which offer free assistance to military families.

The DSP is particular to spouses of deployed servicemembers, whereas the at-home refuse pickup is offered to all JBER residents, said Rachael Hodgson, AMH general manager.

"A lot of times people know they may be leaving, they don't know when and then they get that last-minute notice," said Chris Anderson, AMH tenant manager. "They panic and forget things."

AMH's goal is to raise awareness of these programs ahead of time, so the pre-deployment confusion - and the stress on the family - is reduced. Even if they don't know about the program until crunch time, AMH can still help, Hodgson said.

Participants in the DSP have a variety of services available to them, from landscaping and snow removal to electronics assistance and moving heavy furniture, Hodgson said.

The lawn mowing and snow removal is the basis of the program, but AMH also offers an hour of nontraditional assistance a month.

"There was a gal that did ice sculptures, and her spouse must have been someone who deployed a lot because the first three years I was here, we would literally go find her snow, deliver it, and she would do ice sculptures," Hodgson said. "That was how she utilized her hour of nontraditional support."

"When I first joined the team, the [4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division] was gone, and we had more than 500 families that could have been utilizing these services," Hodgson said. "They just needed to sign up."

To qualify for the DSP, the military member must deploy for 90 or more days or be on a one-year dependent-restricted, unaccompanied tour.

Additionally, one can contact AMH if they feel circumstances necessitate special support.

The at-home refuse pickup service launched last year offers two annual junk-removal pickups for all AMH residents, not just those deployed, Hodgson said.

"So if you buy new furniture, or you decide to do a big clean and you have bags and bags of household or whatever it may be, we'll send someone out there to pick that stuff up," Hodgson said. "All that's required is to call us to schedule it."

"We will also do a pickup when someone is coming or going."

A deployment affects the whole family, not just the service member, but there are programs that can help. Service members can prepare for a potential or imminent deployment by researching such options to give their families the smoothest deployment experience possible.

"We'd really like folks to help spread the word," Hodgson said. "We have this program, please sign up for it. You can sign up on the website or contact one of our offices.

"We expect to - and want to - take care of the residents."