According to a recent report by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of homeless Veterans in Los Angeles City and County fell by 22 percent between 2011 and 2012 . The report reflects that the number of Veterans who were homeless during that yearly period on any given night in LA County dropped from 8,131 to 6,371.
“Even one Veteran living on the street is too many, but we continue to make great strides toward the goal of ending homelessness among Veterans,†said Donna Beiter, Director of VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. “A 22 percent reduction in Veteran homelessness in 2012 reflects the dedication of our staff and the effectiveness of the many initiatives we have developed as part of our comprehensive homeless services, but VA could not accomplish this outcome on its own. These results could only be achieved through partnership between VA and the City of Los Angeles, the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Public Housing Authority, and numerous community partner organizations, all of whom share our profound commitment to care for our Nation’s heroes.â€
Since 2005, according to HUD, the number of homeless Veterans in LA County has decreased from 16,181 to 6,371, a 61 percent reduction over the last seven years. VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System continues to increase the range of supportive services to Veterans.
“Our housing programs are the most robust in the country and we continue to expand them to provide even more housing options to our Veterans,†said Bill Daniels, Chief of Mental Health at VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System’s Housing first demonstration project, known as Project 60, successfully moved 60 chronically homeless Veterans from four specific geographic areas into permanent housing with HUD-VA Supportive Housing vouchers and VA clinical support. The project is currently being scaled up to provide permanent housing solutions, through the use of HUD-VA Supportive Housing vouchers, to even more chronically homeless Veterans in Los Angeles.
