Los Angeles' Veterans: A Long Road Home

The West Los Angeles VA campus has been a topic of debate for years. It sits on 388 acres of land donated over a century ago to serve as a home for veterans. However, the campus has seen better days and has been used for various purposes, including athletic fields and a baseball stadium. This has left many veterans, like Irving Webb, struggling to find a place to call home. Webb, an Iraq war veteran, has been living on the streets near the campus for years. He has seen his belongings swept away by sanitation workers multiple times, highlighting the desperate need for housing. The VA has faced criticism for its slow progress in building housing on the property. Advocates argue that the delay has left many veterans, especially those with severe disabilities, without adequate support. The campus's proximity to medical facilities makes it an ideal location for housing veterans who need regular medical attention. Rob Reynolds, an Iraq veteran and advocate for LA's homeless vets, believes that the VA could have done more to help veterans in need. He points out that the VA's slow response has left many veterans without a place to stay, especially those who need immediate help. In May, an executive order from the White House gave advocates new hope. The order aims to turn the West LA campus into the National Center for Warrior Independence. The goal is to house 6, 000 veterans on the campus by 2028. However, the order has raised questions. The number of veterans to be housed is about twice the current number of homeless vets in LA. This has led to speculation about whether the campus will house veterans from other parts of the country. Some VA officials have previously opposed the idea of concentrating so many troubled veterans in one place, fearing it could create a sort of ghetto. The order also mentions funding the construction with funds that might have been used for housing or other services for undocumented immigrants. This has led some, like Congressman Brad Sherman, to question the order's sincerity. Sherman believes the order lacks specifics and seems more like a political statement than a serious plan. He hopes that the Trump administration will come forward with a concrete plan to fund the construction of housing units on the campus. While advocates await more details, they remain hopeful. They dream of a campus that not only provides housing but also offers services and long-term housing in a real neighborhood. Steve Peck, with the West LA Veterans Collective, says that the focus should be on getting the job done right, regardless of who takes credit. In the meantime, another effort to build housing on the campus is ongoing. A judge ordered the VA to build hundreds of new temporary housing units, but the government has appealed the decision, creating further uncertainty.