Reuters reported earlier this year that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had agreed to provide housing for homeless veterans living in Los Angeles, California.
In January, VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald signed an agreement with attorneys who had filed suit against VA officials on behalf of several homeless vets.
In the document, both the VA and the veterans attorneys agreed to work together to end veteran homelessness in Greater LA in 2015.
This agreement was the culmination of a lawsuit that was first filed in 2011.
The original complaint named two VA officials as the defendants and said that land that had been donated to house disabled veterans was being misused by the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VA GLA).
The complaint stated that the West Los Angeles Medical Center & Community Living Center campus of the VA GLA wasnt giving homeless veterans the housing needed for proper medical care and mental health care.
Instead, as the veterans attorneys wrote in the court filing, land on the campus was being leased to companies such as Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Tumbleweed Transportation, Sodexho Marriott, Richmark Entertainment, and others.
[The] plaintiffs in this case include severely disabled veterans with mental disabilities and/or brain injuries who, as a result of their disabilities, are homeless and cannot access necessary medical and mental health treatment, the attorneys added in the court document.
In August 2013, Judge S. James Otero issued a judgment voiding nine of the land leasing agreements that the West Los Angeles Campus of the VA had signed with various companies and organizations.
The January 2015 agreement between the VA and the homeless veterans attorneys included an exit strategy for the non-VA companies and organizations located on that campus.
CONTACT OUR VETERANS ADVOCATES TODAY
Our nation’s veterans fight for the freedoms we enjoy, yet each year thousands of veterans struggle with housing and some become homeless.
Homeless veterans programs, as well as programs that provide housing for veterans are available and can help veterans who need housing and healthcare assistance.
Need help appealing a denied disability claim or finding more resources for housing and homelessness?
For a free review of your claim, call (877) 777-4021 or fill out our online claims’ review form.
