With the effort to drastically reduce veteran homelessness, and eventually eliminate it, now seriously under way, many cities can boast of expanded capacity to permanently house former servicemembers who are currently living on the street. This is certainly true in Los Angeles, where the VA recently announced plans to renovate nearly 2,000 units on a long-neglected site.
The VA has a campus in West L.A. that hasn't been used much, but could soon be home to 1,200 units of permanent housing, plus 700 more for short-term use by homeless vets, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times. That would be in addition to assistance for disabled veterans living in the permanent units, a cafe, a fitness center, and other facilities that can improve the quality of life there.
However, the deal has only been proposed, and because it is through the VA, it would require the federal government to sign off before work could even start, the report said. In addition, the VA would also have to partner with nonprofit developers to build the units, and probably also do some fundraising to help pay for it.
However, if and when this is completed, it would likely be a boon to many homeless vets in Southern California.