Washington, DC. – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), and Subcommittee on Health Chairwoman Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) applauded Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough’s announcement that the West LA VA Medical Center will provide permanent housing for all of the veterans currently living in the San Vicente encampment before the county clears the sidewalk on November 1st. Additionally, VA announced that it will work to get 500 additional LA area homeless veterans into permanent housing by the end of the year. Earlier this month, Chairman Takano Invited Secretary McDonough To Visit VA Facilities And Meet With Veterans In The Inland Empire And The Greater Los Angeles Area. During Their Visit To The West LA VA, Chairman Takano, Rep. Bass, and Rep. Lieu joined the Secretary for a Tour Of The San Vicente Encampment And Spoke With Homeless Veterans, Advocates, And VA Staff about efforts to address veteran homelessness in the Los Angeles area.
“My heart is full given today’s announcement that VA has plans to permanently house the homeless veterans living outside the West LA VA, and I look forward to learning more about VA’s efforts,” said Chairman Takano. “Earlier this month, I invited Secretary McDonough to tour the San Vicente encampment and speak with homeless veterans themselves—I’m grateful that the Secretary took these conversations to heart and is following up with VA action when these veterans need it most. I know that together we can continue to tackle the biggest problems facing veterans in the LA area, including the monumental effort to end veteran homelessness.”
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