Before moving into a supportive housing building for veterans on the West Los Angeles VA campus in March, Mark James had spent more than a year bouncing between relatives’ homes, or living in a car, or on the streets.
This week, a grateful James, who had served as a chief petty officer in the Navy during the Vietnam War, credited the housing program he’s participating in for helping him get back on his feet.
“I was blessed enough to get into this program to stabilize me,” the 69-year-old said. “I pay my own rent. I buy my own groceries. It put me back in the frame of mind of taking care of myself again.”
The stability also helped James reunite with his wife. The couple separated while James was homeless, he said.