LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger and Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis launched a new initiative today to bring more homeless Veterans inside and off the streets. This action stems from a recent federal regulatory change that Mayor Bass advocated for – under that previous regulation, thousands of Veterans were homeless because they were forced to choose between receiving disability benefits and housing assistance. Today’s new initiative comes on the heels of numbers released last week by the Department of Housing and Urban Development that show while homelessness is up 18 percent nationally, in Los Angeles homelessness is down, including a 10 percent reduction in street homelessness. This is the first decrease Los Angeles has seen in 6 years. Last year, Veteran homelessness also decreased by 23% in Los Angeles and reached a record low nationwide.
“Our work to change the old and failed way of doing things is why we’re able to launch this new initiative and is why after years of increases locally and nationally, we’re bucking the trend and bringing homelessness down in LA,” said Mayor Bass. “For too long, too many in government have accepted people living on the street. I do not accept the humanitarian crisis on our streets, especially when it comes to Angelenos who have served and sacrificed their bodies for our country. This initiative will help connect Veterans with property owners who will benefit from guaranteed rent payments and tenants who have proven themselves to be honorable and reliable. If you have apartments available, join us in this patriotic effort to save lives.”
Today’s announcement includes:
A new strategic partnership between the Mayor’s Office, the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and the local City and County housing authorities to cut the time it takes for Veterans to qualify for and receive housing vouchers. This includes additional staff focused on Veterans and increased help and streamlining processes for property owners, rental housing providers and landlords seeking to house Veterans.
Engaging U.S. VETS, a national organization dedicated to housing homeless Veterans, to help connect Veterans to housing.
Collaborating with the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, the Greater Los Angeles REALTORS, individual property owners and more organizations throughout Los Angeles to increase the number of units available for Veterans with vouchers.
“We are ecstatic at the VA to support this initiative,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough in his remarks during today’s event. “I have every confidence, as we say every day at VA, when we end homelessness for Veterans in Los Angeles, we will have shown America how to do it, and we are committed to making sure this gets done – today’s commitment to reach out to property owners, mom and pop landlords to get them to work with us as we do a better job executing our regulations. We are all in and we will not rest until every Veteran has precisely what she or he deserves, which is a dignified housing arrangement. So I thank you. We are thrilled to be part of this. We are committed to seeing this through.”
“I was sleeping in my car after I lost my job but then I was able to get connected to services and find an apartment that accepted my federal housing voucher. I’m so grateful for the stability that having an apartment has provided me. I want to encourage any Veterans who are living on the streets to reach out and get help today, and I want to ask property owners in L.A. to consider being part of this new initiative launched by Mayor Bass and help more Veterans like me get housed,” said U.S. Navy Veteran Harold Hicks.
Homelessness increased in Los Angeles in the 6 years leading up to Mayor Bass taking office. On her first day as mayor, she declared a state of emergency on homelessness to usher in unprecedented urgency and a commitment to change the failed, broken system that allowed the homelessness crisis to grow. As a result, during her first year in office, homelessness declined in Los Angeles, including a 10 percent reduction in street homelessness driven by her new Inside Safe initiative to rapidly move people from encampments and into housing. Mayor Bass’ leadership also helped drive Veteran homelessness in LA County down by 22.9 percent during this time. She also helped lead the successful passage of Measure A on the November ballot, which overturned an earlier homelessness initiative with one designed to move people from tents and into mental health treatment and that enacted strict accountability – programs that are not effective will have money taken away.
“I am proud to applaud the launch of this vital initiative, which reflects the values of compassion, service, and responsibility that Los Angeles County upholds,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger. “This effort is not just about housing—it’s about restoring dignity and providing a stable foundation for those who have served our country with honor. By dedicating additional personnel exclusively to supporting this target population and by removing barriers for landlords to accept housing vouchers, we are creating tangible pathways to ensure Veterans have access to the safe and stable homes they deserve. I encourage everyone in our community—landlords, businesses, and residents alike—to consider how they can support this life-saving work. Together, we can amplify the impact of this initiative and show our Veterans that their sacrifices will never be forgotten.”
“Today’s announcement shines light on the strong efforts the County has been taking to address homelessness in our Veteran community, and demonstrates a renewed commitment to work with Mayor Bass and Secretary McDonough on this important initiative,” said Chair Pro Tem Supervisor Solis. “I am confident that by working together we will bring our Veterans indoors and into the homes with a better quality of life that they deserve.”
Today’s announcement follows action to slash bureaucratic red tape that had left unhoused Veterans outside not just in Los Angeles, but throughout the country. Last year, Mayor Bass and more than 50 bipartisan Mayors from across the country went to Washington D.C. to successfully advocate for a change to federal policy. The campaign launched today by Mayor Bass and Secretary McDonough calls on every sector in Los Angeles to get involved:
Unhoused Vets – If you are an unhoused Veteran in need of support and housing assistance, call 310-268-3350 to get started.
Property Owners – Mayor Bass has worked with the VA, the Housing Authority of the City of L.A. (HACLA) and the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) to focus staff on referring and processing more eligible Veterans to be placed in permanent housing. Under the direction of HACLA’s new leadership, more support is being provided to rental housing providers and property owners throughout the application process and also after tenants have moved in. If you want to rent to unhoused Veterans and you have units available or want more information about renting your units to Vets, email HouseOurVets@lacity.org.
Culture Leaders and Media Partners – We need help getting the word out to increase the number of units open for Veterans. Email lamayornews@lacity.org to get involved.