VAGLAHS to Expand Supportive Services for Homeless Veterans to Include Tiny Shelters

Phase one of the initiative will prepare the area to receive between 60-70 tiny shelters for homeless Veterans.  The area, which is bordered by San Vicente Boulevard to the southwest and Wilshire Boulevard to the southeast, is the current site of the CTRS Initiative, a low-barrier-to-entry outreach program that provides homeless Veteran participants a safe, clean, designated tented living area and regular access to critical medical, behavioral health, and housing services on campus.

The tiny shelters will be provided in addition to the platform space on the Grand Lawn that is currently available to participants who prefer to reside in tents. Paving work to prepare the area for the tiny shelters began on the WLA Campus on September 20, 2021, with the shelters anticipated to arrive in early October 2021.

“The shelters will be an important addition to VA’s efforts to provide a stable environment for the low barrier to entry homeless service option VA has available to Veterans on the WLA Campus, which already includes emergency, transitional, and permanent supportive housing,” said Dr. Steven Braverman, Director, VAGLAHS.

VAGLAHS will partner with community and municipal entities to facilitate Revocable Licenses (RLs) for land use to place the tiny shelters on VA property in the Grand Lawn area.

VA will manage all aspects of the care for and use of the tiny shelters placed on its property, while ultimate ownership of the tiny shelters will rest with community or municipal entities under separate RL agreements.

“The tiny shelter and CTRS initiatives are low-barrier outreach services to engage homeless Veterans in VA care while promoting a “Housing First” approach to supporting homeless and at-risk Veterans. A stable, clean, and safe living environment co-located with behavioral and medical healthcare helps to improve outcomes for Veterans who participate in these VA programs,” continued Dr. Braverman.

If you know a homeless or at-risk Veteran who could use VA services, call the WLA Campus Welcome Center at (310) 268-3269. Veterans in crisis should call 1 (800) 273-8255 and press 1.

For any media queries, please contact the VAGLAHS Office of Public Affairs at (310) 268-3340 or at VHAGLAPublicAffairs@va.gov.

  

ABOUT VAGLAHS: VAGLAHS is one component of the VA Desert Pacific Healthcare Network (VISN22) offering services to Veterans residing in Southern California. VAGLAHS consists of two ambulatory care centers, a tertiary care facility and eight community-based outpatient clinics. VAGLAHS serves Veterans residing throughout five counties: Kern, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. There are approximately 1.4 million Veterans in the VAGLAHS service area. For more information, call (310) 268-3340 or visit us at www.losangeles.va.gov. Veterans in need can call the VA hotline toll-free at 877-4-AID-VET.    

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