In D.C., Bass Presses Feds to Clear Barriers to Housing Unhoused Veterans

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass is in Washington, D.C. this week with a delegation of six of the city’s council members to advocate to top-level federal officials on homelessness — including a push to expand housing opportunities for veterans.

Among the concerns the mayor asked D.C. leaders to fix during meetings on Tuesday is one LAist reported on last month — a federal rule that disqualifies many L.A.-area unhoused veterans from government-funded housing.

The rule has kept hundreds of unhoused veterans with serious disabilities — caused by their military service — from living in apartments meant to help address homelessness on the sprawling 400-acre West L.A. Veterans Affairs campus.

The problem, which LAist reported is affecting veterans across the country, stems from a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rule that counts veterans’ federal disability stipends as income. That money, combined with Social Security, can sometimes put their income level just high enough to disqualify them from housing.

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Bass told LAist she brought up the issue to federal Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough on Tuesday.

McDonough had hoped to address the income qualification issues through a regulation change, Bass said. But, she added, McDonough has determined he can’t do that and that a change would have to be done through legislation passed by Congress.

“It wasn't the takeaway we wanted to see,” Bass told LAist. “But it was important to clarify what that barrier was and how we can go about it.”

VA officials and advocates previously interviewed by LAist, along with several local congressional representatives, say the rule doesn’t make sense and hurts those who have sacrificed greatly for their country.

Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat whose district includes the West L.A. VA campus, has told LAist legislation is being developed to exclude disability compensation when determining eligibility for veteran housing vouchers.

“We are going to continue our lobbying and advocacy to remove [barriers] so that we can ensure that all of our veterans – men and women who have served our country – have access to the housing and health care services that they need and that they deserve,” Councilmember Traci Park told LAist in an interview Tuesday. Her Westside district includes neighborhoods immediately around the West L.A. campus, which itself is an unincorporated island outside the city of L.A

In a statement to LAist, McDonough’s office said they’ll continue to focus on ensuring unhoused veterans can get housing.

A possible solution to one of many barriers for unhoused veterans

During Tuesday’s meeting, Bass said, McDonough did offer one possible solution to get some unhoused veterans into housing.

McDonough, she said, mentioned the VA has staff who can get a veteran’s discharge status re-evaluated so they can become eligible for government-funded housing. Currently, those with less-than-honorable discharges are disqualified.

“If you look at who gets less than honorable discharges, it is disproportionately people of color, which are the vulnerable vets — a disproportionate category of veterans who wind up unhoused,” Bass said.

Pushing for more housing vouchers

After her meeting with the VA secretary, the delegation met with Marcia Fudge, who is the secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the nation’s top housing official.

In a voice message to LAist, Bass said she asked Fudge for additional vouchers to house unhoused Angelenos because other cities had extra vouchers they didn’t use that may be available. An answer likely will come in a couple of weeks, Bass said.

Bass also said Fudge alerted her that L.A. was about to lose federal housing money meant for low-income Angelenos, including people who are unhoused.

“The HUD secretary notified us that we were in danger of actually losing money that had been awarded by HUD to the tune of a couple hundred million dollars,” Bass said.

“Because of her guidance now, we can make sure that L.A. does not lose that money.”

Bass’ concern is that Congress could claw back any funding cities have that hasn’t been designated for specific uses.

Other highlights

City officials invited McDonough to come tour more VA facilities in L.A., including a medical center in the San Fernando Valley that he hasn’t yet visited, Bass said.

“It takes all of us, working together, to fight Veteran homelessness,” said Terrence Hayes, McDonough’s press secretary, in an emailed statement. “We’re proud to work with Mayor Bass to do exactly that.”

Bass told LAist she’s learning more about barriers to getting people housed, and working to clear them.

“We have to keep digging down deep in the bureaucracy, to get to where people who need housing can just get housed,” she said.