The city is closer to its goal of ending veteran homelessness in Los Angeles by the end of the year, after 3,375 veterans were connected with housing in 2014, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Thursday.
More work lies ahead, with an estimated 3,154 veterans still living on the streets in the city, according to the mayor’s office.
Some of the vets may be able use funding the city received for another 1,300 housing units, Garcetti said.
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles won a $13 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that could be used toward supportive housing for 747 chronically homeless individuals and families, including veterans.
HACLA also made 600 housing vouchers available to veterans.
Garcetti said the funding for “1,347 new permanent supportive homes for homeless veterans and chronically homeless individuals and families” marks “another important step in keeping us on pace for ensuring that every veteran in the city has a home by Christmas.”
Garcetti last year joined United Way of Great Los Angeles and about 100 other groups in the Home for Good initiative to house the chronically homeless.
There are an estimated 39,500 homeless people in the county overall, including 4,618 who are veterans.
The Home for Good effort began in 2010 and has led to 12,000 veterans from the region finding housing, according to United Way.
“Every region in Los Angeles County is impacted by veteran homelessness, and it will require a strong and collective effort to eradicate the issue and house our homeless veterans still living on the streets,” United Way of Greater Los Angeles CEO Elise Buik said.
Buik said she is “confident that with this group effort” made up of Los Angeles County officials, federal partners, nonprofits and business groups, “we will eradicate veteran homelessness in Los Angeles County in 2015.”
