Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined representatives from the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles and the nonprofit U.S. VETS on Tuesday, April 9, to announce a new partnership between the two organizations aimed at preventing veterans from becoming homeless.
Bass, whose father served in World War II, spoke of a societal responsibility to support veterans when they return from service.
“With the same courageous rigor that you served this country, we must now serve you,” Bass said during a press conference at Bob Hope Patriotic Hall near downtown L.A.
The Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, an independent nonprofit with close ties to City Hall, made addressing homelessness a priority last year after Bass took office.
Conway Collis, president and CEO of the Mayor’s Fund, said there are thousands of homeless veterans in L.A. – a situation he called “unconscionable.” He estimated that there will be 30,000 eviction notices filed by Los Angeles landlords this year.
While his organization has helped about 32,000 homeless Angelenos experiencing homelessness or at risk of losing their homes through its We Are LA program, many more still need help, Collis said. With the partnership announced Tuesday, the Mayor’s Fund will be able to refer veterans – and their family members – to U.S. VETS for rental assistance and other services.
“We’re going to ask specifically if (someone is) a veteran or any member of their family is a veteran. And if they are, we’re going to refer them directly over to U.S. VETS. And it makes a huge world of difference,” Collis said.
U.S. VETS offers emergency, transitional and permanent housing; career and employment counseling; supports for women veterans including case management, mental health counseling and access to childcare; supports for veterans on community college campuses, including mental health services; funds for veterans and their families who are at risk of becoming homeless as well as those who are homeless; and legal advocacy, among other services.
“Many veterans who face homelessness are struggling with physical or mental health issues that can be traced directly back to their service to our country. Others are aging. No matter the reason, they’re struggling,” Stephen Peck, president and CEO of U.S. VETS, said in a statement. “We owe a safe, clean place to live to every single person who risked their lives for this country.”
In addition to the new partnership between the Mayor’s Fund and U.S. VETS, Bass, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Homelessness, announced Tuesday that she’ll lead a bipartisan group of more than 40 mayors from around the country to Washington, D.C., later this month to advocate for national homelessness policies.
The task force will meet with members of the Biden administration and Congress to advocate for more housing vouchers, voucher flexibility to build more permanent and supportive housing, and to allow homeless veterans who receive disability income benefits to also qualify for housing vouchers.
That veterans currently must choose between housing assistance and other benefits is “really crazy,” said Bass.
“We’ve been able to build housing for veterans that sit vacant because veterans can’t qualify,” she said.
Bass said she previously spoke with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough about waiving the eligibility rule. But after determining that a rule change can’t happen unless Congress passes new legislation, Bass said the group of mayors will travel to D.C. to lobby U.S. House and Senate members.
The upcoming trip to the nation’s capital won’t be the first time Bass has traveled there to advocate for more federal resources or policy changes related to homelessness. In October, she and a delegation of L.A. City Council members were there to advocate for federal support to address issues including homelessness, resources for veterans, transportation improvements, public safety and preparations for the 2028 Olympics.
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