VA opens two buildings to provide 120 units of housing for homeless and at-risk Veterans on West LA Campus

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These units will be fully furnished, “move-in” ready, and include amenities such as a central community space, computer room, fitness room, central laundry facilities, onsite management offices, leasing office, and case workers’ offices. Veterans are expected to begin moving into these new units this month.

These openings follow VA’s recent opening of Building 207, which added 59 units for homeless and at-risk Veterans on the West LA Campus. In total, the campus now has 233 total supportive housing units available for homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families.

Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority of the Biden-Harris administration and VA. In addition to housing Veterans on the West LA Campus, VA has set a goal to provide at least 1,500 permanent housing placements to Veterans in the Greater Los Angeles area during 2023. Last year, VA provided 1,301 permanent housing placements to formerly homeless Veterans in Los Angeles, the most of any city in America.

“With these new buildings, 120 Veterans who are experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness will have a safe, stable place to call home – and there’s nothing more important than that,” said Tanya Bradsher, VA’s Chief of Staff. “But there is much more work to do. We at VA will not rest until we end Veteran homelessness, in Los Angeles and all across America.”

Nationwide, the Department of Veterans Affairs permanently housed 40,401 homeless Veterans in 2022 – and the total number of Veterans experiencing homelessness has decreased by 11% since January 2020 and by 55.3% since 2010. VA has set a goal to house an additional 38,000 Veterans in 2022, and President Biden has set a goal to reduce homelessness for all Americans by 25% by 2025.  

This announcement comes shortly after VA entered into three lease agreements for the development of 264 additional units of permanent supportive housing for homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families at the VA West Los Angeles campus. These new buildings are expected to open in 2024 and 2025.

The development of permanent supportive housing on the West Lost Angeles Campus was facilitated through VA’s Enhanced-Use Lease Program, which serves as VA’s mechanism to provide permanent supportive housing for Veterans experiencing homelessness and their families. Through this program, VA enters into a long-term ground lease with a non-VA entity, which finances, develops, renovates/constructs, and operates the housing. For Buildings 205 and 208, VA entered into a lease with Shangri-La Construction, with Step-Up on Second providing supportive services to the 120 Veterans who will reside in the buildings.

The PACT Act, which President Biden signed into law in 2022, appropriated funding for VA to enter into enhanced-use leases such as those on the West LA Campus. VA envisions using more than $350 million of this funding to support the housing development at West LA. The funding will help VA execute its plan to provide at least 1,200 units of supportive housing for Veterans on the West LA campus by 2030.

If you know a homeless or at-risk of homelessness Veteran who could use VA services, call the West LA VA Welcome Center at 310-268-3269. Veterans in crisis should call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1. For more information on VAGLAHS Veteran Housing resources, please visit: https://www.va.gov/greater-los-angeles-health-care/health-services/homeless-veteran-care/.

For any media queries, please contact VA Public Affairs at VApublicaffairs@va.gov.