Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough has six weeks to make good on a pledge that he would find homes for 500 veterans living on the streets of Los Angeles County.
In October, McDonough visited the infamous “Veterans Row,” an encampment of approximately 55 veterans living on a sidewalk in front of the VA facility in Brentwood. He called the conditions unacceptable and said the veterans would be moved onto the property, which occurred two weeks ago.
VETERANS ROW HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT AT THE VA CLEARED OUT
“Here’s what’s not acceptable anywhere in the country: the idea of there being a homeless veteran,” McDonough told KTLA5 News. “Anyone who raises his hand or her hand, swears an oath to give his or her life to protect this country, will not be homeless — should not be homeless.”
With that mission accomplished, McDonough said another 500 will be rescued by the end of the year within the greater Los Angeles area. He won’t have to look hard to find them — the county had 3,900 homeless veterans in 2020, according to the last census.
The VA said in a statement that the goal is permanent housing and the veterans selected for help will “come from various situations. They can come from living on the street, shelters, transitional housing, and other temporary housing situations.” They will be identified when they come in for treatment or have been referred by outreach groups or law enforcement.
Actor Ken Wahl, who has been a longtime advocate for veterans’ rights, said helping secure 500 homes is a good start, but it’s not enough. Wahl and his wife, Shane, successfully lobbied Congress to pass the PAWS Act this year, which gives veterans free service dogs that were initially rescued from shelters.
“There are a lot of mental health issues with these guys, so you can’t wait until they mosey in, you have to be proactive to go out and find them,” Wahl told the Washington Examiner. “The government lets illegal immigrants come over the border and hands them everything. The veterans would be better off going to Mexico and sneaking over the border, they would get help that way. It’s horrible.”
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Veterans often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and find it difficult to live in a structured environment, so they end up homeless. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has made numerous trips to Veterans Row to convince the inhabitants to move onto VA grounds, where it is safer and they can receive treatment.
