Relocation Assistance

Your Military and Family Support Center provides relocation assistance to help make PCS moves as smooth as possible. Resources include:

• PCS planning: Most relocation assistance programs offer consultations to help you with the moving process. If this your first military move, your first time moving overseas or you have challenging or complex circumstances contact your installation Relocation Assistance Program as soon as possible for support.
• Plan My Move: An online Defense Department relocation tool that provides you with customizable checklists and links to helpful resources for the tasks ahead.
• Military OneSource: A website and call center that offer 24/7 support for moving information and resources. Learn more about PCS basics and download this fact sheet 7 Steps to Make Your Household Goods Move a Smart Move. For comprehensive moving resources and information, including Defense Personal Property log in details, visit Moving Your Personal Property.
• Workshops and briefings: Workshops vary by location. You may find classes on housing options, moving with children, moving with pets and more.
• Predeparture briefings: These sessions provide essential information about your move and may be required for some populations.
• Special needs: If you have a child or family member enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program, contact your installation EFMP-Family Support office to assist you.
• Settling-in services: Look for welcome programs or local area tours that may offered. Overseas services may include introductory language classes and cultural awareness activities.
• Foreign-born spouse support: Assistance includes information and referral to resources such as immigration and naturalization.
• Emergency assistance: Sometime emergencies occur while moving. The Military and Family Support Center has the resources to provide emergency financial assistance, as well as information and referrals.
• Authorized housing flexibility options: Eligible service members with PCS orders may be entitled to flexibilities such as extended stays in government housing and early housing eligibility. Contact your military personnel office for more information.
• Spouse licensure reimbursement: Your service branch may reimburse spouses up to $1,000 for relicensure and certification costs resulting from relocations or PCS moves. See this Military OneSource article Transferring Your Professional License for more information and specific service branch policies.

The Naval Station Great Lakes Fleet and Family Support Center Relocation Assistance Program Office would like to welcome you as you prepare to relocate to our area.

The FFSC is located near the main gate in Building 26. The FFSC has many programs and services that will be a great help to newcomers, as well as those who are getting ready to depart from Great Lakes. Relocation services include extensive community information, family member employment assistance and transition assistance.

Local community information and referral as well as assistance with travel plans and research on new duty stations are available. The Relocation Assistance staff is available to assist you. Relocation Assistance is located in Building 26 and is open Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. We also have two Relocation Outreach offices for the convenience of our students for command sponsor request and information and referral. One office is located in Building 236, Room 165, and another is located in Building 621, Room 116.

Lending Closet – The Lending Closet is unavailable. 

Midwest Veterans Closet -  Midwest Veterans Closet where it is Veterans Day EVERYDAY is providing a much needed service to Veterans of all ages, once very proud soldiers and active-duty service military. Located at 2323 Green Bay Road in North Chicago, just north of the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, Midwest Veterans Closet, the Rapid Response Resource provides life's basic needs - FREE clothing, household items, small kitchen appliances, furniture, employment and housing leads, and food from our Food and Nutrition Resource Center.  For more information about how you can help Mary.Carmody@MidwestVeteransCloset.org or call 847.354.2108 Temporary hours: Monday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Veteran Closet are accepting donations.

Great Lakes area start-up costs are expensive, with security deposits for rental units and fees for registering children in public school. Separatees coming into Great Lakes are to report to the Transient Personnel Unit in Building 177.

Relocation Assistance

The FFSC is located near the main gate in Building 26. The FFSC has many programs and services that will be a great help to newcomers, as well as for those who are getting ready to depart from Great Lakes. Relocation services include extensive community information and spouse employment assistance.

Newcomers Brief – Contact your command for scheduled briefing time. Spouse orientation is offered on a one-on-one basis. Child care services are not available. Contact the FFSC at 847-688-3603, ext. 100, to make an appointment.