Years behind schedule on promises to house veterans experiencing homelessness, the opening of two newly restored apartment buildings this spring on the West L.A. Veterans Affairs campus was greeted with excitement by high-ranking leaders at the local, state, and federal level.
The May 2 opening was heralded as a major milestone toward promises to create 1,200 units at the campus for unhoused veterans.
In speeches covered widely in the press, high-level officials like VA Secretary Dennis McDonough and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass spoke of an urgent need to house people who struggle with physical and emotional wounds from fighting for their nation.
All 120 units were “move-in ready,” VA officials said at the time.