The VA has reportedly housed over 1,300 veterans in Los Angeles since late 2021, but scenes like this are increasingly common. (Photo: Russ Allison Loar)
On Jan. 26, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced updated results of its ongoing program to house the nation’s homeless veterans.
Since beginning its efforts in earnest in late 2021, the VA has placed over 40,000 veterans across the United States into permanent housing, surpassing its goal of 38,000 veterans for 2022. The figure represents an 11 percent drop since 2020 while the goal was part of a Biden-Harris administration plan to find permanent housing for at least 25 percent of all homeless Americans by 2025. It is currently unclear how many veterans the VA hopes to house in 2023.
Homeless Veterans in Los Angeles
For decades, Los Angeles has had the largest population of homeless veterans in the United States. Likewise, the VA is focusing its efforts here: 1,301 veterans found permanent homes in 2022.
Though the VA claims it is making progress in Los Angeles, some Southern Californians have disputed these assertions. Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva noted in November that the number of homeless people in the city had sharply risen since the onset of the pandemic. Additionally, Villanueva, as well as local volunteers from U.S. VETS, claimed that the system for counting homeless veterans is flawed, noting that veterans must self-identify and that verification is difficult to perform.
The Los Angeles County Homeless Services Authority has yet to publish an updated count of homeless veterans in Los Angeles for 2023.
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.