LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough announced a new program Thursday to reduce homelessness among veterans that McDonough said could serve as a national model.
Under the new initiative, Los Angeles will work to increase the number of landlords who accept veterans’ housing vouchers, ease eligibility requirements for them to accept vouchers and speed up processing times within the city and county’s housing authorities.
“When we end homelessness for veterans in Los Angeles, we will have shown America how to do it,” McDonough said.
The move comes on the heels of an August change to VA benefits that allows veterans to more easily receive both disability benefits and housing assistance, a move officials said would help ensure that thousands of unused housing vouchers allotted to veterans can be used.