Editorial: More homeless veterans shelters are finally opening on the VA campus. Still having problems? Naturally.

Just three months ago, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had just 54 homes for the homeless on its sprawling west Los Angeles campus. in 2016. This plan was the result of a lawsuit and settlement with homeless veterans who alleged that the VA had lost its primary commitment to being a home for veterans, not just a medical center with the land for lease to outside interests fulfilled. not complied.

Then last month, 59 units in a rehabilitated historic building were completed and veterans began moving into the small but beautiful apartments, many with large arched windows that offer sky-like views of the VA campus. In the coming weeks, A further 120 units will become available in two buildings, for a total of 233 apartments. Construction is underway and more than 600 units are expected to open or near to open by the end of 2024, said Tyler Monroe, senior vice president of development at Thomas Safran & Associates, one of three companies that will provide the lead development team. forms for the housing and facilities that will form a veteran community on the northern part of the campus.

This is slower than the realization of 480 new homes in 2020, as envisaged in the master plan. But it is encouraging to see more homeless veterans finally moving into stable housing on land dedicated to their care and well-being.

At this rate, VA schedules assume all 1,200 units can be completed by mid-2030. That’s four years away from the original master plan forecast. And we hope the project can reach its goal of 1,200 units sooner – the need is so great. As of the 2022 homeless census, there were approximately 3,900 homeless veterans in Los Angeles County. One thing the VA could do to ensure it meets at least the 2030 date is to hand over control of the land plots to developers by 2028.

The project faced major obstacles: a two-year environmental study, aging infrastructure (including deteriorating sewerage and water supply systems) unsuitable for significant residential construction, and the tedious task of compiling affordable home financing from multiple sources.

In fact, the last error relates to some of that funding. When residents were selected for the newly opened 207 Building, which is open only to homeless elderly veterans, some homeless veterans earned too much money on their VA disability benefits to qualify. Financing for the building, including money from the city’s Proposition HHH funds, requires tenant income to not exceed 30% of the area’s median income.

But veterans who are considered completely disabled — and most would benefit from living near the VA hospital and on-campus services — receive monthly disability benefits that put them at 50% of the area’s median income. Finding a veteran of the right age group and poverty level is like finding “a unicorn,” a VA official told an advisory group last month.

Since then, given the VA’s difficulty in finding tenants who meet income requirements, the director of the LA housing department has asked the City Council to allow an increase in the eligibility limit for HHH units to 50% of the area’s median income in VA-assisted housing. post requirement. The council agreed. While the VA should always try to find and house the most needy veterans, it is absurd to leave campus units empty while the VA searches for homeless veterans poor enough to qualify.

Assembly Bill 1386 introduced into the legislature would allow veterans with up to 60% of the area’s median income to be placed in homeless shelters built with funds from the state’s Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program, while housing projects remain mandatory for veterans giving priority to those earning less.

The VA is also funded under the PACT bill, which President Biden signed into law last year to expand health care and VA benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances. The legislation includes funds the VA can use to develop supportive housing projects, with more than $350 million available for the West LA campus. It would be great if the VA tipped homebuilders from that PACT money so they don’t have to raise as much money and so projects can move faster. (The VA only provides the land and pays for the infrastructure.)

The fact that this development project is finally gaining momentum is good news long awaited by veterans and their advocates who have watched in frustration for years as VA officials failed to transform the campus from a medical center to a residential community and to to become a meeting place. was promised. Now that construction has started, we’re looking at the VA and the developers are trying to speed it up even more. Every day on a sidewalk, in a tent, under an overpass is another day when homeless men and women who have served their country have no home to call their own.