Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) applauded President Joe Biden for signing the West Los Angeles VA Campus Improvement Act into law. This legislation will help the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) address veteran homelessness in the Los Angeles area. In addition, it helps VA use already available funding streams for certain homeless veteran programs, thus reducing the need for taxpayer funds.
In 2016, Congress passed the Rep. Lieu’s West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016, a law intended to clean up the campus and end most non-veteran related leases. The law also helped spur the redevelopment of the VA. The VA is now implementing a plan to build at least 1,200 new subsidized apartments, which is composed of 23 projects that range from renovating existing structures to developing and building new units. The West Los Angeles VA Campus Improvement Act of 2021 ensures that funds recouped following execution of 2016 bill goes directly back to the West LA VA.
“No one who served our country should ever go without housing,” Congressman Lieu said. “I’m proud that our bill to expand the West LA VA campus’s ability to provide housing for homeless veterans has been signed by the president. Our legislation contains a number of improvements, including a commonsense solution to ensure that VA lease revenue goes toward housing and other services for our veterans. I want to thank Senator Feinstein for her tireless efforts to help get this bill across the finish line. We will continue working with our Senate partners and others to ensure the West LA VA can best serve our nation’s heroes.”
“With around 4,000 homeless veterans in LA, the city faces a huge challenge to find homes and resources for this at-risk population,” Senator Feinstein said. “Allowing funds that are generated on campus to build housing is a no-brainer. I’m proud to continue working with Congressman Lieu and others to turn the West LA VA campus into a model for the nation on how we can house and provide comprehensive services to as many homeless veterans as possible.”
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