PCS made easy with one little program...

By: Jennifer Blue, JBM-HH ACS Relocation Specialist

PCSing can definitely be a stressful time for any military family. Finding out where is the next place you are headed, packing up a home full of personal things, helping your family adjust to the new move and moving to a strange place is all stressful. One of the many things that Army Community Service provides is relocation assistance to ease some of that stress.  Our relocation program offers pre and post move assistance, educational classes, and a Loan Closet for your use.

When a Servicemember and their family are just arriving to the DMV, they may not know where to go or what to do; that is where the Relocation program can help! We provide Servicemembers and their families with a Welcome Packet that includes informational flyers regarding housing, what local utility companies to use, school and education information for this area, maps of the DMV (D.C, Maryland, and Virginia areas), a metro station pocket guide to help them figure out what subway trains to take, and of course our ACS brochure that lists all of the other programs we have to offer. When Servicemembers and their families are relocating to another installation, we can also provide assistance with that as well. Depending on where they are headed next, we can give them the contact information of the ACS office at their next duty station. We also provide outgoing packets that have pertinent information such as a moving checklist, information on Tricare insurance, temporary lodging, and more! If a Servicemember is headed overseas, we also include passport information, overseas travel information, and an overseas moving checklist to make sure they have everything they need when making such a big trip.

Our relocation program also offers educational classes for Servicemembers that are leaving the DMV area for another destination. To our Servicemembers that do not speak English, we offer English as a Second Language classes, and we also have a Citizenship class in which we invite a representative from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration office to come and speak on the matter and also answer any questions a Servicemember might have.  If a Servicemember has received orders to Germany or Korea, our relocation program also offers a Welcome to Germany and a Welcome to Korea classes once a month. These classes are very informative and offers information on how to get acclimated with a new country, driving information, and also an insight to food and culture.

Our relocation program also has a Loan Closet for Servicemembers and their families to utilize while their household goods are in route to the DMV area or is packed up and on their way to a new destination. We have hundreds of items for Servicemembers to borrow free of charge for a minimum of 30 days. We have pots, pans, dishes, eating utensils, cups, coffee makers, toasters, ironing boards, microwaves, car seats for infants and toddlers, Pack N’ Plays, and even sleep mats for the entire family!

Our relocation program is a great assistance program geared to help Servicemembers get acclimated to a new area with as much ease as possible. Our main goal is serving those who serve!

No Animals were packed with the making of this photograph.