Housing Board Blues

One of the most thankless jobs in the Mission is being on the housing board.

Housing is one of the, if not THE, most contentious issues we deal with in the Management Section.  This is because it affects everyone in the family, and not just the officer.  The job of making housing assignments is delegated to the Inter-Agency Housing Board (hereinafter IAHB).  This is because the Management Officer and General Services Officer already have to make some unpopular decisions, so why make them even more hated?  (Actually, it's to ensure that the housing is distributed equitably and that all sections in the Mission get a say in how people are housed.  I think mine's more accurate, though.)

Anyways, sometimes the meetings go quite quickly.  In Suriname, my first post, I had two of the three votes in my pocket so I didn't need to worry.  I'd make a suggestion, the two that always agreed with me would vote yea, and it would pass.  Our meetings were 10 minutes long.  However, in some places I've been, the IAHB is very large, and the decisions can take a LONG time.  We're talking 2-3 hour affairs.  They just keep going, and then old jealousies pop up, arguments take root, and we end up arguing over whether the new Consular officer is getting too nice a house, and should it REALLY go to the USAID officer.  It gets very old very quickly. People are asked their preferences, and for the most part we try to give them what we can.

Sometimes the person assigned to the residence doesn't like it for some reason.  They can appeal it.  There are actual reasons to appeal, but the only ones that I think should be taken seriously are health and safety.  If you feel like you're in danger living at a certain residence, then you should be able to move.  (Like if your neighbors are threatening you and trying to intimidate you, like what happened to someone here in South Africa when I first came, then you should be able to move.)  If you find mold, or the light sockets keep exploding and you think that the house is a death trap or is making you and your family ill (and it can be proven) then you should move.  For me, that's it.

I say this because transfer season is upon us once again.  We'll be gearing up for new arrivals soon, and the housing needs that come with them.  I'm sure there will be some appeals, and that people will complain that my house is nicer than theirs and it isn't fair.  (Mine has the veneer of being nice, but it definitely has challenges.)  This is just part of the game we call the FS.  I just hope if the IAHB gets tense that I have pop corn available.  I can't vote, but maybe I can enjoy the tension.