VA West Los Angeles Campus Master Plan
The Master Plan guides VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System’s (VAGLAHS) multi-year effort to reshape its facilities and capital assets to create a thriving, first-of-its-kind community of and for Veterans at the historic West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.
The plan covers a variety of construction, redevelopment, and public-private partnership activities related to VA’s master planning process for one of VA’s largest and most complex integrated healthcare systems.
When the Master Plan implementation is complete, West LA VA Medical Center will provide housing for at least 1,200 formerly homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families, as well as supportive services, a town center and world-class medical care.
What is the Master Plan?
As part of the VA’s commitment to ending Veteran homelessness, VA Secretary Denis McDonough released Master Plan (MP) 2022 on April 22, 2022, building on the Draft Master Plan of 2016. Veterans and members of local communities provided valuable input in the process of developing both the Draft Master Plan and Master Plan 2022 through discussion at multiple public town hall meetings, surveys, and written public comments.
The Master Plan calls for at least 1,200 units of housing to be developed at the West LA VA Medical Center. Housing units are being constructed via the Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) authority, which allows VA to lease underutilized land to private developers, who in turn secure financing and ultimately construct and manage housing developments on campus. (Visit the Master Plan website for more information about EULs.)
VA supports this effort via investments in infrastructure on the campus and preparing parcels of land for development. VAGLAHS invested nearly $70 million in 2021 and 2022 combined and is on track to invest roughly $70 million more in 2023 as part of the Master Plan/EUL process. VA also has a sustainable funding source for the delivery of Veteran housing at the West LA VA Medical Center via Sec 705 of the PACT Act which allocates an anticipated $381 million through 2036 to support this crucial component of ending Veteran homelessness.
The need for this additional housing is urgent with more than 3,800 Veterans presently experiencing homelessness in LA County. The Master Plan is part of VAGLAHS’ comprehensive strategy to address this pressing issue. VA and partners are working to house Veterans through multiple avenues: at the West LA VA Medical Center, in project-based voucher sites in the community, and by partnering with property owners to house Veterans through tenant-based vouchers. Visit our Homeless Veteran care page for more information.
What’s Included in the Master Plan?
Implementation of Master Plan 2022 includes:
- Ensuring all VA programs, activities, resources, and initiatives prioritize the needs of Veterans, striving to serve them when, where, and how they want to be served.
- Enabling the West LA VA Medical Center to provide a variety of high-quality supportive housing and a holistic set of resources tailored to the needs of vulnerable Veteran populations and their families.
- Interconnecting campus operations with available off-site resources including VA community-based facilities/services; state, county, city, and neighborhood systems; Veteran Service Organizations and non-profits.
- Optimizing the West LA VA Medical Center as a vibrant and welcoming Veterans community while honoring its legacy wherever possible through restoration of original structures and key outdoor spaces, and developing new facilities, services, and amenities that are compatible with the character of the campus.
How Is the Master Plan Updated?
The department periodically reevaluates and updates the Master Plan to ensure it meets the standards of care for Veterans and reflects changing demand over time. It is also anticipated that as various elements of the Master Plan are implemented and the infrastructure needs of the West LA VA Medical Center change, the plan will also be revised accordingly.
VA will continue to engage the Veteran community in the Master Plan’s successes and opportunities for improvement.
As VA diligently works to build a future community on the grounds of the West LA VA Medical Center, Veterans are being housed and connected with resources throughout the Greater Los Angeles region daily.
To learn more about the current Master Plan, visit www.westlamasterplan.org.