Councilmember Bonin Discusses Homeless Vets

The U.S. Department of Urban Housing reported a continued decline of 24.2 percent, or nearly 18,500 people, of veteran homelessness in 2013.

However, the issue is concerning as many veterans are still sleeping without a roof over their heads.

One a single night in January of last year, the U.S. Department of Urban Housing counted nearly 58,000 homeless veterans.

In Los Angeles, similar to the rest of the country, many of these homeless veterans are chronically homeless, either suffering from mental illness or substance abuse problems and often post-traumatic stress disorder.

Earlier this year, First Lady Michelle Obama called the 58,000 homeless statistic a “stain on the nation” during the 2014 National Conference to End Homelessness where she was joined by Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Garcetti along with 100 other local leaders from across the nation pledged to end homelessness among the country’s veterans as part of the Mayor’s Challenge to End Homelessness.

The First Lady’s Call to action sparked the initiative.

The event was not very well publicized, said Councilmember Mike Bonin, who reaffirmed the Garcetti’s pledge.

Bonin said the city is striving to eliminate veteran homelessness and has the will.

“We have enough VA vouchers to house all of the homeless veterans of L.A.,” Bonin said. “The challenge is convincing them to get the help.”

The initiative includes a groundbreaking method, dubbed a Housing First Approach, where veterans can be placed in homes without the unnecessary requirements of first stopping the abuse of substances and other obstacles.

It is much easier to help people when they first have a roof over the heads, Bonin said. The goal is to get them off the streets as quickly as possible.

The overall goal of the program is to focus on the chronically homeless, prioritize their needs, help identify them and coordinate outreach efforts.

There is a big difference between a Vietnam veteran living under a bridge for 23 years and a woman escaping abuse, Bonin said.

Both of these people may spend a night on the street, but finding ways to help each of them is a challenge, said Bonin.