Struggling Los Angeles veterans will have a new option for housing soon as the Hollywood Community Housing Corporation is set to finish construction on its 30th building sometime in the coming weeks.
The building has 74 units, all of which are set to be filled. However, another six buildings are in various stages of development, including two that are currently under construction.
The low-income housing project is intended to help homeless veterans and struggling families find housing in a city, and state, currently in a housing crisis.
Veteran Housing in California has Faced Many Challenges
As of Jan. 2019, there were nearly 11,000 homeless veterans living in California. While trends suggest that number is decreasing, it is currently unclear if the COVID-19 pandemic has been an influencing factor.
On Sept. 16, a fire completely burned down a complex intended to serve as low-income housing for veterans in East L.A. The project was being funded by nonprofit New Directions For Veterans, which was forced to cancel a major fundraiser earlier in the year due to the pandemic. The fire may have been caused by arson; however, details are scarce as the suspect is a minor.
More recently, on Oct. 8, James Stiles from Orange County was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison and fined almost $170,000 for fraudulently applying for and receiving housing and medical benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs from 2012 to 2016. Stiles claimed to be a former combat-wounded Marine Corps veteran until he was confronted by VA officials in April 2016.
New Help for Homeless Veterans
To further tackle the problem of veteran homelessness in the United States, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced in August that it would be awarding over $400 million in grants to nonprofit organizations dedicated to ending veteran homelessness.
Of the 266 nonprofits receiving the awarded VA funds, over two dozen aid homeless veterans in California.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.