In an effort to reverse a worrisome increase in veterans experiencing homelessness, Veterans Affairs officials are vowing to find stable housing for more than 500 veterans living in the Los Angeles area by the end of the year, starting with those stuck on the infamous “Veterans Row” on the city’s west side.
“You run across these phrases in the English language that shouldn’t really exist, and one of those is ‘veterans homelessness,’” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said at a press conference in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. “It’s outrageous. And while I’m here I’m going to do everything I possibly can to get them help.”
McDonough’s vow comes a week after he visited California to survey VA sites in Los Angeles and meet with homeless veterans living in the area.
“Veterans Row” sits just outside the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, with several dozen veterans camped in tents and makeshift shelters. The location has long been a source of concern and frustration for advocates looking for ways to provide help to distressed veterans.
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