Your Fort Lewis Housing Resource Center!
Fort Lewis Housing
Congratulations! If you’re looking for Fort Lewis housing, chances are you’ve been recently assigned there and are looking for a new place to call home! Good news – Fort Lewis is beautiful and there are lots of Fort Lewis housing options to choose from – whether you’re looking to buy a house or rent an apartment, or even stay in a hotel short term. There are plenty of Fort Lewis housing options for you!
Fort Lewis housing is conveniently located near many other cities such as Lacey, Olympia (Washington’s capital city), Dupont, Tacoma, Puyallup, and Seattle (which is just an hour away). Being so close to so many other great cities affords Fort Lewis housing residents access to top notch restaurants and dining options, world-class entertainment, incredible hospitals and care facilities, and so much more.
Fort Lewis housing supports tens of thousands of active and retired military men and women, and as a result, can have a significant influence on the Pierce County real estate and housing market. Although many who work in Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base have housing in the neighboring cities listed above, with recent changes to the Veteran’s Association Mortgage program (which allows now for larger home loans) Fort Lewis housing is attracting greater attention!
About Fort Lewis Housing
Contact Us To Speak With A Fort Lewis Housing Professional
Fort Lewis was designated a permanent Army post in 1927. During the post’s long history, it served as home to fourteen Army divisions including the 3rd Infantry, 4th Infantry, 9th Infantry, and 9th Infantry (Motorized). Fort Lewis also served as a major training and personnel center for overseas deployment during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Part of Forces Command, Fort Lewis is also the home of I Corps and has been since 1981. It is one of the fifteen United States power projection platforms. The Corps’ primary focus is the Pacific Rim. As a result, I Corps has a close, ongoing relationship with Pacific Command.
As you can see, Fort Lewis has quite a history! And when you select your Fort Lewis housing and choose your new home, you will become a part of it, too!
Military Families Love The Flexibility Available In Fort Lewis Housing
Many military personnel and their families relocate to Fort Lewis, also called McChord AFB, or the “Joint Base Lewis-McChord, or “JBLM.” According to About.com’s US Military information site which is a great resource to read as you look to make your move to Fort Lewis Housing, there are 3801 sets of family home units at Fort Lewis divided into 11 housing areas and broken down by rank and bedroom equipment. The minimum number of bedrooms for the rank of E-1, E-2, E-3, or E-6 is two. Senior NCOs (E6P-E9) is a three bedroom house. Company grade and field grade officers will also have three bedrooms as a minimum.
If you have a Basic Allowance for Fort Lewis Housing (BAH) you can use it in one of two ways: (1) you can either rent on post or you can live off post. If you live off post you can either rent or buy. This decision is yours of course, and you should discuss it carefully with your family before making any big choices. One consideration, though, is that investing in purchasing a home is one of several strategies you and your family may wish to implement to build wealth. As such, you may want to consider using your BAH to invest in home ownership at Fort Lewis or in the surrounding area. Both officers and enlisted personnel have used this approach and you can too. Depending on your personal situation, often times owning a home can be a great tax savings and instead of just spending money each month on rent, you can be investing in the equity of your home – something you can take with you once you decide to leave the area, even if you decide to purchase another home somewhere else.
For those who are eligible and searching for government Fort Lewis Housing, you will need to supply a copy of the orders assigning you to Fort Lewis Housing at Building 2150 – Waller Hall. If you are coming from a dependent restricted tour, you will need to provide a copy of the orders that assigned you to OCONUS. It is possible to receive up to 14 months credit for eligibility when coming from a “short tour.” Unfortunately, not everyone can be find Fort Lewis housing immediately upon arrival. If you must reside off post, keep in mind that the estimated waiting times for Fort Lewis housing are just estimates and cannot be relied on to know exactly when you will be offered government quarters. Therefore, it is in your best interest to discuss your status with your area counselor on a regular basis, but most certainly before renewing a lease or rental agreement if you decide to rent a house at Fort Lewis.
Families may stay in temporary Fort Lewis housing such as the Fort Lewis Lodge while waiting for an on-post housing or locating real estate off-post.
Your quality of life in your Fort Lewis housing is very important, and the goal of choosing housing is to know that even though there may be a place near which you must live, you should still be able to feel at home there. The choice to live on or off post is yours, and you should make the selection only after careful deliberation. For additional thoughts on these Fort Lewis housing choices, see Fort Lewis Housing on post.
Schools Serving Fort Lewis Housing Neighborhoods
There are two school districts that serve students living in Fort Lewis housing: Clover Park and North Thurston School Districts. There are five elementary school posts located on the base. For middle and high school students, they may attend Lakes High School, Woodbrook Junior High, and Mann Junior High.
The determination of what school each student will attend is based upon where the student lives – if your children have friends in the area, the school district lines may affect your choice of Fort Lewis housing. As always, home schooling is an option, but even if you choose to home school your children, they must still be registered in the local school district.
If you have very young children, Fort Lewis Youth and Child Services offers developmental programs for children ranging in age from as young as six weeks old to as old as 12 years of age. Further, there are three development centers on campus and each offers full-day daycare and before and after school care.