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.

A Community and Host Nation Orientation is offered once a month. This orientation will give you the opportunity to learn about our community and get information involved in the move, learn about Belgium, transition and culture shock. Family members are encouraged to attend. 

Spouse orientation is offered to provide information from the key agencies in our community.

Hearts Apart -- Whether you are living separately from your sponsor due to a long temporary duty assignment or deployment, the relocation program will assist you and help you find the support you need. Families residing in the area who are living separately meet informally, share information and experiences and discuss strategies for managing their time apart and coping with stress in Hearts Apart.

The Lending Closet is a service provided by Army Community Service to support incoming personnel as they wait for their household goods and outgoing personnel who are vacating their quarters by lending them household essentials for short-term use, up to 30 days. Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis and upon availability. The Lending Closet office is open Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., and Thursday 8:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. It is located at the ACS, Building 318, SHAPE.

Sponsorship Training -- ACS offers Sponsorship Training for the community once a month and to the units upon request. Contact your respective branch personnel division for processing instructions; each service's procedures vary. Find out what the responsibilities of being a good sponsor are and the local information that will make your job stress free.

Host Nation Orientation -- This program offers a welcome orientation once a month, along with a tour of a hospital located in the economy, learning public the transportation system (train, bus and metro), basic French, culture and tradition. During this orientation, field trips are organized (Mons and Brussels). On day two, we go beyond the gate to learn and use public transportation to visit points of interest in the community. For more information, call ACS.

Relocation Assistance -- Upon your arrival, your sponsor should take you to ACS to meet with the Relocation Readiness Manager, who will assist you in your transition process and will give you a welcome package. The Relocation Readiness Manager will explain what services are available for you and your family while you are moving to U.S. Army Garrison Benelux/SHAPE-Chièvres ( Host Nation Orientation, Lending Closet, Tours, Spouse orientation, multicultural session, hearts apart). For more information, call 011-32-65-75-7365.