Feinstein Unveils Plan To House Homeless Veterans At West LA Campus

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Two Veterans Affairs buildings in West Los Angeles could soon begin to double as homeless shelters.

KNX 1070’s Megan Goldsby reports Sen. Dianne Feinstein has introduced legislation that would authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to lease out part of its West Los Angeles campus as housing for homeless veterans.

With an estimated 6,000 veterans who are homeless in Los Angeles, Feinstein’s proposal would provide housing and therapeutic services at two structures which are currently vacant and in need of renovation, along with a third property that marked its groundbreaking Jan. 25.

All three buildings surround a parking lot at the far northern end of the VA campus, between Barrington Avenue and the San Diego (405) Freeway.

“This is a disgrace and should be a national shame,” Feinstein said. “We can’t afford to wait any longer to increase the housing supply at West L.A. VA.”

Congressional authorization is still required for the project over six years after VA officials agreed in 2007 to contract with a private developer to renovate the properties for homeless vets.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who has worked with Feinstein and Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, in support of the project.

Waxman, who recently announced plans to retire, intends to introduce a similar bill in the House of Representatives soon, Feinstein said.

The concentration of veterans in Los Angeles County is the largest in the country, according to Feinstein’s office.

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