President Trump’s executive order calls for the establishment of a National Fighter Independence Center to accommodate thousands of veterans in Western Los Angeles and has gained widespread support, including his political opposition.
But with the deadline for submitting the action plan to the president, supporters of the order were shocked that more than a century ago, potentially radical changes in land donated to homes for disabled veterans were being drafted.
They said the Department of Veterans Affairs requires everyone related to the program (employees, contractors and other government officials) to sign a non-disclosure agreement and denies that Congressional staff and veterans and their advocates have the opportunity to review or comment on the program.
“I thank President Trump for his executive order,” Iraq War veteran Rob Reynolds said in a speech at the executive order last week. “This is the first time I have seen or read anything about the president of the United States, that is, it’s the soldier’s home.”
But Reynolds has become an unofficial advocate for veterans trying to obtain housing and services on the Sila campus, and he said Virginia has exploded opportunities to build trust with veterans.
“I’ve seen things after closed-door meetings over the years and you don’t consult with people affected by the program,” he said. “The program will be problematic.”
The three-hour meeting at Bob Hop’s patriotic hall near downtown was convened by Rep. Mark Takano, a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
“While I almost disagree with the president, I long to see the soldiers’ homes become a community of veterans and to see us establishing the Warrior Independence Center in West Los Angeles,” Gono said.
In Virginia, where no roundtable staff members were sent to answer questions, not congressional hearings, Tacano set the event as a roundtable, not a congressional hearing, and the committee did not agree to attend.
“I do hope everyone knows they’re invited,” Gono said while presiding the meeting. “I’m particularly frustrated by the lack of transparency VA has shown Congress, the public and veterans its plans for West Los Angeles”
Two other House members, Brad Sherman (D-Porter Ranch), whose districts include the Sira campus and Sydney Kamlager-dove (D-Los Angeles), were also attended by Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.
Trump issued an order on May 9, giving VA 120 days to return to the program’s plan to accommodate up to 6,000 homeless veterans, by January 1, 2028.
That number is three times the current plan for a 388-acre house – leading people to guess what kind of housing is, where it will go, what money will cost and where the money will come.
Sherman said Virginia has included $530 million in its current budget request for construction of the Sila campus, but it is not clear whether the amount will be approved by Congress.
He said the House has passed a $1.75 billion grant covering all construction of VA hospitals, clinics, housing and even cemeteries nationwide.
Sherman said that only one-third or one-quarter of the money in Los Angeles’ Senate version will cost one-third or one-quarter of the money.
In response to a request for comment, Virginia Press Secretary Pete Kasperowicz said in a statement: “Virginia recently announced a $818 million grant to fight veterans homeless nationwide, with more than $138 million of that would benefit veterans in California.”
Kasperowicz rejected Times’ request to interview Lynda Davis, a veterans experience officer in Virginia, who led the action plan.
“The planning process is underway and, once the process is completed, other announcements will be issued regarding implementation and budgeting,” his statement said.
Trump’s executive order adds a new dimension to more than a decade-long court battle, which failed to provide senior housing to the government’s property in 1888 as a disabled soldier’s home. After housing as many as 4,000 veterans in the early 20th century, the soldier’s home was closed in the early 1970s as VA transferred its mission to medical treatment.
The settlement of the 2011 lawsuit requires VA to produce 1,200 permanent housing locally. Virginia did not have the funds and built it, but instead signed the work with the developer of affordable housing, who brought out external funds through time-consuming tax credits. So far, the developers have completed 571 units.
The second lawsuit, which arises from the slow progress, led to a judgment last year that VA quickly built 750 prefabricated units, temporarily occupied by veterans, while building another 1,800 permanent housing units.
Nearly five months after hearing the argument, a panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has not issued a ruling.
To show how Trump’s VA order bridges political consistency, public legal counsel Pro Bono has sued the Trump administration for prosecutions on immigration policy and has widely cited the policy in a supplementary summary filed by the 9th Circuit.
“The reason for this presidential directive ‘recovery’ was their original purpose[ing] They wrote that “Disabled Veterans” praised it as a recognition of the goal of accelerating the construction of new housing on campus.
But the wording of the order, “restores the ability to accommodate up to 6,000 homeless veterans”, leaves broad possibilities – both units that mean 6,000 permanent residence or fewer units from veterans across the country, will be temporarily shuttled.
Kasperowicz’s statement said the facility will be used by veterans across the country.
“By creating the National Fighter Independence Center, we will turn the campus into a beacon of hope, a destination for homeless veterans across the country, where they can find housing and support and start back to a journey of self-sufficiency,” it said.
Veterans at the roundtable have a variety of views on the types of housing they need.
Army veteran Rob Gewland said the concept of 6,000 veterans from all over the country was “dumped into Los Angeles.” But he also said it would be a serious mistake to see the target as a veteran in Los Angeles.
“I believe our most general responsibility to veterans is to reintegrate them into society after military service,” he said, urging members of Congress to urge the government to conduct vocational training.
Some veterans say VA policies on housing prevent them from reintegrating elsewhere in their lives.
Air Force veteran Robert Canas said he could not get professional benefits because they feared losing their homes.
“We were told that if we went back to school, we would be expelled from the apartment,” he said. “We were told that if we went back to work and made too much money, we would be expelled from the apartment.”
Anthony Allman, executive director of vets Advisory, a nonprofit that aims to monitor the 2011 settlement, proposed working with community colleges to build housing for veterans participating in their participation.
Sal Grammatico said he has been active on campus for 20 years and said patients treated at VA hospitals still need housing.
“I think that for the percentage of homes in a house in a house compared to permanent housing, compared to housing for veterans who have gone through all the different procedures, including mental, physical and everything else,” he said.
Reynolds said there is a need for more housing options that are more aligned with the needs of individual veterans.
After a small home village on campus, the “hazard reduction” model is valuable for veterans encountering drug abusers.
“I did see drugs used when watching veterans come in the street,” he said. “So there are veterans sober and want to plan that they can be with them around other sober veterans.”
He said both should have campus areas and should also be “for those with serious mental illnesses that really require case management.”
Some veterans have described existing safety and security issues that need to be addressed in housing.
CANAS said the lack of support services allowed drug study and brothels to operate in the corridors of his buildings, resulting in overdose.
“We’ve been dying on that campus,” he said.
Following the roundtable, Gono and Sherman said they were developing legislation that would increase transparency, ban undisclosed agreements and address issues raised by veterans.
Sherman acknowledges that any plan in Virginia faces a philosophical difficulty, which is more than just building housing.
“You don’t want people to be denied to bring their lives together and integrate careers,” he said in an interview. “At the same time, your utopian fraternity, the sorority of the veterans community means that if someone finds a high-tech company and makes $5 million, they will continue to live there because that’s their community.”
But he said: “Let people keep people indoors.”
