Washington—The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today it reached an agreement with the Veterans Housing Partnership to build and maintain 55 permanent housing units for homeless veterans at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Campus.

This is the first leasing agreement entered into under the Veterans Care Agreement and West Los Angeles Leasing Act, legislation authored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that was signed into law last September.

Senator Feinstein released the following statement:

“This is a very important step in the West Los Angeles VA campus becoming a national model for providing veteran housing and services. While much work remains to undo a decade of underutilization and mismanagement at this historic campus, this is a positive sign that we are on the right path.

“Los Angeles has the highest number of homeless veterans in the country. To address the problem, the VA worked with the community to develop an ambitious master plan that uses public-private partnerships to add 1,200 additional units of housing for homeless veterans and a wide range of educational, health care and recreational services. Today’s announcement shows the VA is working to meet that goal.

“The sacrifices of California’s brave veterans should never be forgotten. By providing a safe place to sleep, the VA is working to fulfill its original promise to be a home for veterans in Southern California.”

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