Editorial: End veteran homelessness in L.A.

There are an estimated 4,600 homeless veterans in Los Angeles County — more than anywhere else in the country. That’s why there’s been such pressure on the Department of Veterans Affairs to repurpose some of the empty buildings on its sprawling 387-acre West L.A. campus to provide housing with supportive services for the most troubled of these vets.

Last year, it looked as if the VA might finally be forced to act. A federal judge ruled, in a lawsuit filed by a group of mentally disabled, homeless veterans and Vietnam Veterans of America, that the VA had violated its congressional mandate to use its land only for veterans’ health-related purposes when it leased some of its property to UCLA, the Brentwood School, and several businesses. As a result, the VA agreed to try mediating with the plaintiffs, a hopeful sign that it might address the issue of housing homeless vets. But that hope was dashed when the talks broke off recently and the judge set a schedule for both parties to begin their appeals. It’s unfortunate and disappointing that this case is headed back to court. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Beverly Hills), among others, had urged the VA to settle.

But no matter why the talks fell apart, it is important not to lose sight of the big picture: The VA has an urgent problem that it has yet to treat urgently. L.A.’s chronically homeless veterans are desperate men and women with severe mental disabilities, sometimes brain injuries, sometimes addictions, that leave them nearly incapable of maintaining homes without extensive support and counseling. Not all homeless veterans are this troubled. Between 1,800 and 3,000 in L.A. County are considered chronically homeless.

The VA has taken some steps. Over the last year it renovated one building to house 65 homeless vets, which should be open in several months. And the campus offers other services, including about 1,000 beds for overnight stays. But that’s transitional or emergency housing; it is not the same as supportive housing, complete with therapists and case workers, for indefinite lengths of time. Even the federal housing vouchers available to veterans can’t be put to good use by many chronically homeless vets unless the housing is accompanied by supportive services.

President Obama and the former secretary of Veterans Affairs publicly vowed to end veteran homelessness nationwide by the end of 2015. And Mayor Eric Garcetti this summer pledged at an event with First Lady Michelle Obama to end veteran homelessness in the city of L.A. by the same time. How will that even come close to happening in the next 14 months unless VA officials step up and put their efforts into hyperdrive?

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