Efforts are underway to expand housing for homeless veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ 388-acre west Los Angeles campus, but a lack of security and services threaten the plan to build a model housing community, lawmakers and advocates said Wednesday.
The grounds currently contain housing for 955 veterans in apartments, tiny homes and rooms, as well as a peer support facility that serves 36 veterans daily.
But it also is plagued by pests and crime, including illicit drug use and sales and prostitution, according to Rep. Mark Takano of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
During a committee hearing, Takano shared stories of veterans whose belongings were stolen after they died and veterans’ dogs needing to be revived with Narcan after they were exposed to drugs.
“I fear that we will doom this property to becoming a vast west-side Skid Row,” Takano said. “This concentration of veterans without adequate supportive services has jeopardized tenant safety, sobriety and mental health. We have created a pressure-cooker.”