WASHINGTON, D.C.—On July 24, Secretary Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Torres Small held a department-wide town hall for all U.S. Department of Agriculture employees. Among the speakers was Jake Baechle, recreation program manager on the Coronado National Forest.

Baechle was asked to speak about how the housing rent refund is helping him and others recruit and retain staff in what is known as a destination vacation spot on Forest Service-administered lands. He explained how housing rental rates have changed over time, how they’ve been tied to the private market and high rental cost areas, and the fact that they doubled for his employees, pricing them out of agency housing.