European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 9, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday february 9, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 15money matters Dollar watch shown below Are the highest Dollar Exchange rates for the week of feb. 3-8 compared with Dollar rates for the same period one year and five years ago. German Mark 1.57 1992 one Dollar would buy you 1.84 1997 l a military Exchange rate British Pound 1.79 one Pound would Cost you 1.98 33.1 one Dollar would buy you 38.9 30.3 1992 1 1991 i 1987 dutch Gutter one Dollar would buy you 1-81 1.65 2 09. 1992 i 1991 1987  Branch franc  Xvi a a a a one Dollar would buy you 549 4.99 1992 1991 \ 1987 i a % 4 Grask drachma. One Dollar would buy you 187 i 158 136 i i i. A a 1992 i 1991 i 1987 i italian lira j one Dollar would buy you 1 917 1.320 1�?T217 1,103 Assli Msj 1987 i Spanish peseta one Dollar would buy you 131 102 92.7 1992 1991 furl so lira 1987 one Dollar would buy you 5,519 Quot 3,030 1992 760 1991 i 1987 hordes of returning soldiers finding Little room at the Post by Janet Howells Tierney Washington Bureau being assigned to Frankfurt Germany gave army sgt. Scott Mcjunkin experience in dealing with Tough housing markets. He Learned to keep his ear to the ground. Seven years of army living echoed in Mcjunkins voice when he emphasized a a you be got to be aggressive. You can to wait for someone to do it for  that advice came in Handy when the 28-year-old combat Engineer and his wife left Frankfurt on nov. 21. They and the soldiers of the 317th engr in combat Mech moved from Camp Eschborn to fort Stewart a. He went on leave dec. 9, after checking into his new Job and Post. Since Jan. 7, he a rented a Mobile Home for $360 per month five Miles from fort Stewart. Its a find he credits to experience and some rental Market reconnaissance done by helpful locals who sympathized with the soldiers need for housing. A my company commanders in Laws heard of a new trailer Park that was being built Here and about seven of us filled out applications while we were still in Germany a he explained. A you need to get in Contact with realtors and stuff before you leave. If you wait a til you get Here you re probably going to have to Send your family Home until you find a place to  Mcjunkin is one of Many soldiers with families who Are returning from Europe and finding there is no room on Post. But officials at stateside installations said they re stepping up efforts to open other doors for the hordes of returning troops. Stateside posts Are dealing with a daily influx of about 500 soldiers half with families who Are returning from overseas assignments officials said. To meet the demand for services Many housing offices have hired temporary workers. They also have expanded the requirement that off Post housing be within a 30-mile commuting distance. The requirement is now 60 Miles to accommodate the growing number of families. Housing offices also ensure health and safety standards for All the residences they list. The government owns or leases about 50,430 housing facilities on or near 18 major . Army forces come installations where most soldiers from Europe Are being assigned said George Georgalis housing chief for the command in Atlanta. Unfortunately those housing units Are not All located on the army posts that need them most Georgalis said. According to officials army posts most affected by the troop influx Are fort Stewart fort Campbell by. Fort Bragg . Fort Riley Kan. Fort Polk la. And fort Ord Calif. The air Force and Navy Are not experiencing similar housing shortages on or near their stateside bases officials said. Most soldiers arriving at one of the crowded posts can expect to wait at least a year for government housing Georgalis said. However some units returning in Masse from overseas Are getting preferential treatment. A we were pleasantly surprised that All the families in the unit were Given priority on the housing list and they moved into quarters about four Days after arriving a said capt. Johnny r. Mathews commander of a special troops battalion that left Nellinger Barracks near Stuttgart Germany for fort Polk last fall. The experience of Mathews unit of 65 soldiers and about 40 family members was the exception rather than the Rule officials said. Finding a place to live for Many incoming army families has forced most housing offices to reassess How they do Busi tips for stateside move army housing officials offer three recommendations to ease a stateside move for soldiers and their families. # insist on an appointed sponsor and ask lots of questions about the housing Market schools and medical facilities. # hand carry credit references verifying your Good standing and consistent payment record. Landlords and mortgage companies depending on whether you Are renting or buying need that information immediately. # be tenacious and persistent but not obnoxious when applying for rental housing. A Sas Ness. Many have delved into local real estate markets As never before said Jimmy Jones of the army a housing management division at fort Belvoir a. A the surge in requirements has caused housing offices to be More Active in looking for off Post housing a Jones said. A referral offices have not had to beat the Bushes to get additional housing  fort Stewart took aggressive action to seek out rental properties when it became Clear there would of More families than housing Jones said. In october the Post commander Dis watched a dozen officers equipped with vehicles Home listings and cellular phones to visit landlords within a 75-mile radius. A we found 1,493 available units a said chief warrant officer 2 Matthew d. Deppen an Apache helicopter Pilot with the z4th aviation regt Ana a member of the housing search team. A some of the rental prices were higher than they Are closer to Post and the drive to work will be longer but they certainly done to have to Send their families away because of  rent increases have been noted in at least three areas around fort Campbell from $15 to $75 per month fort Carson colo., $25 to $150 per month and fort Riley $15 to $50 per month Georgalis said. A there does no to seem to be any evidence of Price gouging a he said. A most areas have not seen a raise in rates apparently because the Market is still hungry enough that they Are just Happy to get their units  Deppen said the landlords to whom his team talked were pleased to list their units because the country s economic woes had made it difficult to find tenants. A they were a bit concerned that the families might Only stay for six months but they were willing to accept that rather than leave their places empty a Deppen said. Another option returning soldiers can consider is to buy a House. It is an option that has become More attractive in recent months because of plunging interest rates the lowest for veterans Home Loans in 14 years. A this is probably the Best time for buying a Home because there is lots on the Market and the fixed interest rate is at an incredible 8 percent a Georgalis said. A soldiers May As Well Stop putting their Money into their landlords pockets and put it into  Georgalis acknowledged that buying a House is not for everyone especially those who May get caught in the continuing draw Down and involuntary separations. The average wait for off Post housing at most forces come installations is 30 Days Georgalis said and temporary accommodations Are available including some at hotels that offer discount rates to military families. On average it takes 11 Days to get off Post housing at fort Stewart said Victoria e. Floyd the installations family housing manager. And while some soldiers May find themselves living More than 30 Miles away from their duty station that Isnit always the Case. A families done to have to go too far away either Quot Floyd said. Quot right now we have 56 vacancies within 30 Miles of  however at fort Irwin Calif., where the closest town is 37 Miles away soldiers May have to accept a longer commute. The posts housing office does provide special services such As a shuttle bus for those awaiting housing. Soldiers living farther away Are urged to get a six month lease because tight housing conditions Are not expected to last forever Georgalis said. A for the next 12 to 18 months there will be a higher demand for housing than Normal because of All the troops returning from Europe a he said. A the majority of the crunch will be Over with by the end of fiscal year 1992.�?� forces come installations Are averaging 112 percent strength Jones said but by sept. 30, 1992, projections indicate that the figure will drop to 90 percent because of personnel reductions. Published figures show Overall army strength will drop to about 660,000 during 1992, Down from the current 708,000. Stall writer Ray Rowden also contributed to this report Market plunges 30 Points at week s ends amps new York up stocks tumbled Friday after investors Hopes of further cuts in interest rates were dashed by Federal Reserve inaction despite signs of continued economic weakness. The Dow Jones Industrial average which eased 2.01 Points thursday plunged 30.19 to 3,225.40 for its third biggest one Day loss of the year. The sell off also snapped the american Stock exchanges three Day winning Streak and the Over the counter markets four Day rally. Traders began to look to the fed after the labor department reported that nonfarm payroll employment declined by 91,000 in january surprising analysts who had expected a modest increase. A the data suggest the awaited recovery has not yet begun and the expectation that the Federal Reserve would do something about it spread very quickly a Hugh Johnson of first Albany corp. Said. Both markets a became extraordinarily depressed when the help was not on the Way a he said