For years, homeless veterans camped outside the gates of the Department of Veterans Affairs office in Los Angeles and peered into the 388-acre campus that was meant to be their home following military service.
The land was donated in 1887 for the sole purpose of housing veterans following the Civil War, located near what is now the celebrity enclave of Brentwood. Instead, UCLA built a stadium there, and Marriott Hotels and 20th Century Fox leased space along with others. It seemed like everyone had a home except the homeless veterans spread throughout Los Angeles.
Then, the cost of building housing for large numbers of veterans became mired in legal challenges and red tape as the decades dragged on.
Now, Tunnel to Towers has entered the picture and has provided a large undisclosed grant to get a project moving to build housing for 3,000 homeless veterans on the property. The first group will be able to move into their new apartments at the end of the year, said Brad Blakeman, Tunnel to Towers senior adviser.
The charity was created following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by Frank Siller, whose firefighter brother, Stephen, died after entering the tunnel to the Twin Towers. It has raised more than $250 million to house injured first responders or pay off mortgages for family members of those who have died.
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“When Frank Siller came to know of this property, we understood that this is sacred ground –—property that needs rehabilitation,” Blakeman said. “A population of homeless veterans are currently in need and will be in need over time, so this became the perfect opportunity to get involved.”
Last year, the homeless veterans moved off the sidewalk in front of the facility and into tiny homes and tents on the property. This prompted a visit by Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, who toured the facility and pushed for a speedy resolution to the homeless crisis.
A master plan was released on April 22 for the construction of at least 1,200 units. Tunnel to Towers hopes to build 1,700 with the help of U.S. Vets, a nonprofit veteran housing organization that is one of the developers.
The Tunnel to Towers-U.S. Vets partnership has also created another homeless veteran housing complex on the site of the former March Air Force Base, 65 miles south of Los Angeles. One lucky veteran who moved to the site was Marquis Palmer, who served in the Marine Corps until 2009.
“I had nowhere to go. I slept out of my car for a few months, ate out of trash cans, and tried to apply for jobs,” Palmer told Tunnel to Towers in a video. “Being in the military, able to deal with high-intensity environments and think fast, it is very disheartening to be leading a security team out in Iraq and then apply for a job that you aren’t good enough to copy paper.”
Palmer now works for the American Legion.
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Blakeman said the population of homeless veterans Tunnel to Towers is helping in California ranges from those who served in Vietnam to more recently in Afghanistan. Being in a community with other veterans provides a sense of family that could be lacking in their lives, he said.
The cost of the Los Angeles project is expected to be $1.1 billion and will mostly be paid for with state and federal funds. However, a multimillion-dollar gap exists, which is being filled by Tunnel to Towers, the Los Angeles Times reported.
While some new buildings will be constructed, much of the project will focus on existing structures dating back at least 100 years. Many are uninhabitable due to disrepair and not being in compliance with building codes. The buildings are considered sacred by veterans, as they housed soldiers who served in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, both world wars, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
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“We leave no one behind. What’s so ironic is when they separate from the military, all of a sudden it becomes every man and woman for themselves,” Blakeman said. “That is what we are putting an end to. Your service does not end with the military. The sacrifices you made to us will never be forgotten and always paid forward.”
