Financially struggling federal firefighters to receive rent refunds

Federal wildland firefighters, some of whom earn around $20 an hour for grueling and often life-threatening work, will soon seea reprieve from housing woes that have long plagued their ranks.

On Tuesday, U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore sent a letter to employees announcing a temporary rent refund program for U.S Forest Service employees living in government housing. It will impact from 4,500 to 5,500 employees retroactive to March 10.

The refund will cover up to 50% of rent for certain employees. Staff in the higher ranks could be eligible for a 10% rent refund, according to the memo.

"Housing affordability significantly affects the lives of employees across the agency,” Moore said in the letter, obtained exclusively by NBC News. “We are taking this action with the authority and resources available to us. We need to use all the tools in our toolbox, even if they aren’t as far-reaching as we’d like.”

Federal wildland firefighters have fought for years to increase their wages and better their living conditions as fires become increasingly dangerous.

Forest Service employees living in government housing have complained about moldy walls, broken toilets, long commutes and even bedbugs.

About 1,600 Forest Service firefighters, or more than 10% of the wildland fire workforce, lived in government housing last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the agency, said in a statement.

"Due to increasing demand and the preference for short-term rentals in the private market," the USDA said, "there is limited or no housing availability in locations nearest to work duty stations including ski resort communities, mountain town communities, and rural areas.”

Frustrated by the ongoing problems, federal