The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has paused a federal judge’s order for the VA to build over 2,500 housing units for veterans in West Los Angeles. The stay delays Judge David O. Carter’s previous ruling, which required 1,800 permanent housing units and 750 temporary units for unhoused veterans.
In this gallery, we take a closer look at the plague of homelessness over the veteran community.
The VA had appealed, claiming the ruling diverts resources from effective programs like healthcare and job training. Los Angeles County has over 3,000 homeless veterans, and the VA is currently building 1,200 housing units on the campus under a separate redevelopment plan from a prior lawsuit.
Veteran homelessness surged by 7.4% in 2023, marking the largest increase in 12 years, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s PIT Count.
In January 2023, 35,574 veterans were homeless, with 15,507 unsheltered. Unsheltered veterans accounted for nearly 80% of the overall increase.
Mission Roll Call CEO and U.S. Army veteran Jim Whaley said, “We have failed as a nation when we look at numbers like that. We are not doing a good job as a country in making sure that veterans are not homeless. We’re not doing a very good job of making sure they’re transitioning to civilian life in a successful manner.”
Advocates have noted systemic issues such as food insecurity and mental health care delays, and experts have urged a more collaborative approach. Whaley said, “The [Department of Defense] recognizes that 24% of all active-duty military have food insecurity issues. That’s mind-boggling.”
Whaley said, “I don’t understand why the Department of Defense (DOD) is surprised that they’re not getting recruitment calls.”
Whaley added, “We need to make sure businesses understand the value that veterans bring to the workplace — and [that requires] a partnership right at the highest level.”
Concerned Veterans for America senior adviser John Byrnes said, “Homelessness — along with mental health and substance abuse, which are co-related in many cases — has been a problem for veterans for a long time.”
Byrnes stated, “To address the homelessness crisis, we need to get our economy right while also improving efforts to protect veterans’ mental health.”