September 2023
|
The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) is committed to ending Veteran homelessness. Master Plan 2022, which is the framework for transforming the 388-acre West LA VA Medical Center into a fully supportive and empowering community with at least 1,200 units of permanent supportive housing, is a key component in that effort. VAGLAHS’ Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (CERS) connects Veterans to this permanent supportive housing at the West LA VA as well as throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. CERS also provides emergency and transitional shelter, as well as employment opportunities, health care, and justice-and reentry-related services, helping roughly 16,000 Veterans each year.
|
|
|
|
Permanent Supportive Housing Progress
There are now 233 total permanent supportive housing units available on the West LA VA Medical Center, north campus, for homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families.
Over the next two years, 374 units of new housing are expected to open. Construction is moving steadily along on several parcels, including adaptive reuse of existing buildings and new construction featuring modular housing units that are prefabricated and delivered to the north campus complete with appliances already installed and utility hook-ups in place so all crews have to do is set them on foundations.
Below are images captured within the last month of the progress VA and its housing partners, the West LA Veterans Collective, are making.
* The West LA Veterans Collective is comprised of three well-respected Los Angeles based organizations: Century Housing Corporation, U.S.VETS, and Thomas Safran & Associates. Learn more at https://wlavc.org/
 
Wolves, Warriors and Wellness: How Recreation Therapy Helps Heal Veterans
Ever wanted to go deep sea fishing? Sit in on a music appreciation class? Visit with rescued animals? You can do all of the above with Recreation Therapy.
Rec Therapy offers a vast array of experiential (and often exciting!), therapeutic activities that help Veterans to heal, maximize their quality of life and enhance independence.
“We provide intervention activities that not only help our Veterans achieve their functional goals, but are also enjoyable and meaningful to them,” Recreation Therapist Raylene Armour said.
Read all about Rec Therapy and its many benefits in our latest blog post HERE.
 (Left) Marine Corps Veteran Jared “Red” Velasco meets a rescued horse at the Lockwood Animal Rescue Center (LARC), a sanctuary where Veterans can interact with enclosed wolves, horses, raccoons, coyotes and more as part of their Recreation Therapy. (Right) Wolfdog Huey is another rescue that lives at the LARC and engages with Veteran visitors.
West LA VA Welcome Center Has Moved!
The Welcome Center (also known as the Community Resource and Referral Center) has relocated to Building 402 adjacent to the West LA VA Medical Center Hospital, south campus, where staff now work side-by-side with the Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team, creating a more streamlined intake and treatment process for homeless Veterans.
At The Welcome Center Veterans can take hot showers, enjoy a meal, do laundry, and most importantly meet with social workers and healthcare professionals so they can get the medical care they need and chart a course to securing housing.
The Welcome Center is open Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Staff can be reached by calling (310) 266-3269. Outside of business hours Veterans in need can call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 424-3838, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Through a Veteran’s Eyes: A Day at the DOM
The West Los Angeles VA Medical Center’s Domiciliary (DOM) is home to more than 200 Veterans who are being treated for substance use or mental health issues. This transformational place keeps residents busy with classes, recreation therapy outings and other tools for positive change.
“I’ve used the time to be very creative, I’ve used the time to be sober, I’ve used the time to be very reflective,” Veteran Oscar Benn said of his experience at the DOM. “And that’s all I could really recommend is coming here with a mind of reflection, knowing that your time here is limited and just to try to take away as much stuff as you can.”
Read about what it’s like to live at the DOM in our latest blog post HERE.
 Air Force Veteran Oscar Benn works in the on-site computer lab at the West LA VA Domiciliary (DOM) during his free time. The DOM curriculum includes classes and other activities and outings designed to help Veterans overcome mental health and substance use issues.
And the Award Goes to: West LA VA Veteran Housing Earns Engineering Honor
The adaptive re-use of Building 207 to provide housing for chronically homeless senior Veterans was recently recognized as the Outstanding Urban and Land Development Project of 2023 by the American Society of Civil Engineers – Metropolitan Los Angeles Branch.
Thank You KPFF and our housing partner Thomas Safran & Associates for their work bringing permanent supportive housing to the West LA VA Medical Center, and for respecting the history of this beautiful Spanish-influenced building.
Read more about the award-winning aspects of this important project in our latest blog post HERE.
 Building 207, located on the northside of the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, provides senior Veterans experiencing homelessness with permanent supportive housing. Aspects of the redevelopment of the historic building received engineering honors.
‘If You Feel Like You Have a Problem, Come to VA and Get Help’
For Marine Corps Veteran Bryan Aguirre, boxing is a metaphor for life. “Just because you go down doesn’t mean you’re finished,” he said. “You have the option to get back up.”
After his own journey overcoming addiction and mental health issues with the help of VA programs, he now uses the skills he’s learned to assist other Veterans. In addition to earning his certification as a peer support specialist, he coaches boxing, a sport where many Veterans have found solace.
Aguirre believes boxing helps Veterans in many ways, including by teaching them how to take a step back rather than react instinctively. “It helps you mentally and physically feel stronger,” he said.
Read Bryan’s inspiring story in our latest blog post HERE.
 Marine Corps Veteran Bryan Aguirre (left) practices boxing drills with fellow Veteran Olivier Thony (right) during a TUFF (The Unlimited Fitness Foundation) session outside the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center Domiciliary (DOM). Aguirre got his life back with the help of VA and now coaches other Veterans who are in recovery.
2023 VAGLAHS Veteran Housing Goals
 |
|
To secure permanent housing for 1,500 Veterans
Progress to Date: 1,171 Veterans permanently housed in 2023 (78% of goal)
|
 |
|
To maintain 90% Veteran housing retention rate
Progress to Date: 92.3% housing retention rate
|
 |
|
To engage 1,888 unsheltered Veterans
Progress to Date: 1,634 Veteran Contacts (86.5% percent of goal)
|
Data as of August 2023
We’re now on Instagram! Follow us, like and share our content @GreaterLosAngelesVA
Important Resources Section
|
