On this Veterans Day, Mayor Karen Bass has drawn attention to her administration’s strides in addressing homelessness among Veterans in Los Angeles. In a city where the crisis of unhoused individuals has been a pressing concern, Mayor Bass is taking a stand to ensure that those who served the country are not left without a roof over their heads. “No Angeleno who served our country should sleep on the street,” Bass emphasized, as reported by the
Mayor’s office
. Her plan includes bolstering connections between homeless Veterans and housing services, nudging local landlords to lease to Veterans, and streamlining the bureaucratic processes entangled with providing permanent housing.
Sincere efforts to mobilize local landlords have been met with some success; a recent city engagement saw participation from over 50 property owners, leading to a promising slew of 65 apartment viewings scheduled for Veterans holding HUD-VASH vouchers. This initiative, aimed at reducing veteran homelessness by facilitating access to permanent housing, has begun to bear fruit, although the underlying infrastructure still poses a formidable challenge to the speed and efficiency of these efforts. A notable policy shift, thanks in part to Mayor Bass’s advocacy, now ensures disability benefits are not factored into income calculations for housing eligibility – a significant hurdle removed for many Veterans in need.
Actions taken since Mayor Bass’s ascendency to office include forging a closer relationship with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) for landlord participation in housing Veterans, and pushing for federal policy changes. These changes have addressed income eligibility for housing, increasing the number of Veterans who can access these critical resources.
The mayor’s office
reported that Bass’s influence was pivotal in persuading the federal government to uncouple disability benefits from income criteria, impacting housing eligibility and expanding housing options for Veterans.
The tangible progress is underscored by HUD’s recent report signaling a decline in Veteran homelessness and a reinforced commitment to further progress. The 2024 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Point-In-Time Count mirrors this positive trend, reporting a 22.9% reduction in Veteran homelessness. Bass’s tenure has already seen significant initiatives such as ALL INside, a federal partnership to address unsheltered homelessness nationwide, and local efforts to quickly house Veterans by obtaining HUD waivers that expedite the move-in process. Despite these gains, the administrative labyrinth sometimes hampers the initiative to bridge Veterans with permanent housing, indicating persisting systemic obstacles that require diligent attention.
The stance taken by Mayor Bass since declaring an emergency on the homelessness crisis on her first day in office has consistently driven a new approach to confronting one of Los Angeles’s most dire social issues. Through a combination of prevention, government collaboration, and direct housing interventions, her administration aims to not only assist those in encampments but also prevent future displacement of Los Angeles citizens, “save lives and restore neighborhoods,” as explained by the
Mayor’s office
.
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