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Housing and Homelessness

'It Took Me 10 Years To Get Here:' LA's Veterans Fight To Secure Housing

A sign outside a multistory building reads: VA U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
The VA's West L.A. offices
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Libby Denkmann
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LAist
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Listen: 'It Took Me 10 Years To Get Here.' LA's Veterans Fight To Secure Housing

Topline:

Today, the How To LA team dives deeper into the hurdles veterans face to secure housing in L.A. Specifically, income limit restrictions, and how this leaves the most disabled veterans — those who need housing and services most — ineligible for most VA housing.

About this story: This is part two in a special two-part series about the veteran homelessness crisis in L.A. We speak to Edward Sotello, a 70% disabled veteran who was unhoused for more than a decade until he recently secured housing in one of the West L.A. VA's new units.

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We also revisit Josh Petit, a formerly unhoused veteran we met in part 1 of this series. (If you haven't listened, go back to yesterday's episode!)

Who you'll hear from:

  • Edward Sotello, formerly unhoused veteran who recently moved into an apartment on the West LA VA campus
  • Josh Petit, formerly unhoused veteran currently living in a tiny home on the West LA VA campus
  • Rob Reynolds, unhoused veteran advocate and formerly unhoused veteran
  • Nick Gerda, unhoused communities reporter for LAist

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

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