Moving to Great Lakes Base Housing

[Michelle]

So we found out that in order for my sailor to live ashore one of us needs to have a driver's license (which neither one of us has yet) but does anyone know if we need a driver's license in order for me and my daughter to get a house on base, without my husband living with us?

He'll be in school for almost a year and we have been married since before he joined the Navy, so I know in those two areas we should be allowed to move so we can be closer to my husband but now I am hearing that we need to have a drivers license just for me to move there. Does anyone know if this is true? 

[Anti M]

The live ashore is a different issue from housing.  Call the housing office directly and ask about your eligibility and how to get into housing.

http://www.cnic.navy.mil/GreatLakes/FleetAndFamilyReadiness/Housing...

[Michelle]

Thanks Anti. Is it possible for the spouse to take care of the housing on their own? I feel like my husband has so much on his hands that it might just be best for me to head down to Chicago and see if I can get housing for me and my daughter, I just want us to be near each other I don't want him to miss out on the pregnancy even though it'll be a while for him to get his live ashore approved. 

[Angie]

You need a PAO from your husband to take care of such things.  Something to think about...how are you going to get around if you can't drive?  Great Lakes isn't the big city where there are buses running all the time, and when they do run you have to wait outside for them.  the other day it was -25 degrees, are you ready to wait for a bus in that weather?  Taking a shuttle or taxi around is going to get costly, and they are not allowed on the base, so you would have to be dropped off at the front gate and walk to where you are going, if you go on base.

[Angie]

Yes it is true, they want one of you to have a drivers license for his live ashore to be approved. 

[Michelle]

I know that he needs a license for his live ashore, I want to know if that also goes for me and my daughter to be able to get housing? We are planning on getting a car eventually but we just can't afford it at the moment so we were planning on using the taxi or shuttle for the time being. 

[sailorwifenmom]

I don't believe that Great Lakes will require you, specifically, to have a license, I know there are lots of spouses who don't (though I VERY strongly encourage you to get one, most of the places you're going to be stationed won't have anywhere near the public transportation you are used to, and even the places that have it, it doesn't go onto the base  for security reasons.  

Now, they can and will require your Sailor to have one, and they MIGHT overlook that he doesn't if you do.  That's something he will have to talk to his Chain of Command about. 

As far as you and your daughter living in housing And he's not authorized to live there with you goes, I would be very surprised if they let you do that, especially at a school command.  Because technically, even though he is eligible for the house because he has dependents, the house is "his", which is why you need a POA to do things with housing.  (Now of course when he's deployed and stuff, you can still live in the house, because he is authorized to live with you, he's just gone at the time.)

Confirm this with the housing office though, because sometimes commands will have variations in their policies depending on the commands unique situations.

If they won't let him move out of the barracks to live with you without a license, your best bet, as hard as it is, will be to stay where you are, or pay to move yourself to where he is, and rent a place off base that he can visit you at on his liberty.

[sailorwifenmom]

Sorry - hit enter instead of return...

I would go with the "stay where you are" option if he's not able to live off base with you / you don't have a license or a car yet.  You really really really don't want to be trying to rely on cabs or public transportation for any amount of time in the Great Lakes area.  

[Michelle]

Thanks sailorwifemom! I completely understand what you are saying, and we actually decided that it will be best for me to stay here in NYC with my family till after I give birth. It just makes a lot more sense for me to stay here with my family instead of moving to Great Lakes where we don't know anyone and my husband wont be able to see be with us that often anyways. 

We currently have been receiving Chicago BAH since they assumed we would be moving to Great Lakes, since we are staying in NY would anyone know how long it would take to get the BAH switched over and if they would even switch it to begin with? Chicago BAH is definitely not enough for me and my daughter to get our own place here in NYC. We've been staying with my parents but with another baby on the way we can't stay with them for long there just isn't enough room for us to stay, which is why we are looking to get our BAH changed.  

[Anti M]

He'll need to go to PSD and update where you are living.  They may ask for a copy of a lease, which your parents can draw up for you if needed.  It can take a couple weeks to a couple pay cycles, but it will probably be backdated.

Here's the calculator:

http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/bahCalc.cfm