Fellow Veterans and Friends of Veterans,
How serious is Mayor Garcetti at ending Veteran homeless by the end of the year? Why the one-day Stand Down for only a few Veterans (see letter below)?
The mayor refuses to acknowledge the 96-member Neighborhood Council Coalition’s motion declaring a state of emergency for homeless Veterans in Los Angeles and a call to unify with the VA to open a large-scale Crisis Humanitarian Relief Project on VA land to immediately house and care for thousands of disabled homeless Veterans.
Vietnam Veterans of America, Region 9, has requested a corresponding land use permit to host a long-term Stand Down on the VA grounds until Veteran homelessness is ended.
Yet both requests are denied in lieu of a one-day Stand Down.
If Stand Downs have the merit to work for one day, they have the merit to work in perpetuity — until we resolve Veteran homelessness here in LA.
The only place to hold a legitimate Stand Down is on the Grand Lawn of the Los Angeles VA, beginning now.
Time to get serious. We have a long way to go and a very short time to do it. Tens of thousands of disabled and homeless Veterans are depending upon on us to do the right thing for all of them, not a haphazard thing for only a few.
God Bless America and the Veterans Revolution!
From the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition
General Meeting, Jan. 3
Hollywood Constituent Center
6501 Fountain Ave., Hollywood
Motion presented
Los Angeles has the largest homeless Veteran population in the nation. Paradoxically, Los Angeles has the largest VA Veterans Home property in the nation.
Mayor Garcetti has pledged to end Veteran homelessness in Los Angeles by the end of 2015 without mentioning the utilization of nearly 400 acres of land at the West L.A. VA property as a solution.
The challenge to end Veteran homelessness in less than 12 months must require immediate provisional, temporary and permanent supportive housing and healthcare. That will only happen at the Los Angeles VA property where there’s plenty of space and an existing VA Hospital.
The Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition recognizes Los Angeles to be in a state of emergency for homeless Veterans and hereby requests that the Los Angeles City Council direct the City of Los Angeles with all of its resources and the Veterans Administration to unify and open a large-scale Crisis Humanitarian Relief Project on this land to immediately house and care for thousands of disabled homeless Veterans
Motion unanimously passed.
Vietnam Veterans of America
Feb. 19, 2015
Charles Green
Chief, Office of Communications and External Affairs,
Los Angeles VA Healthcare System
Re: License or Land Use Permit for Emergency Homeless Veteran Shelter Program
Dear Mr. Green:
As you know, the VA and the mayor of Los Angeles have set a goal to end Veteran homelessness in Los Angeles by the end of the year. However, we do not sense any urgency. This is very troubling, particularly since nearly half of all homeless Veterans today are from the Vietnam War era.
John Rowan, National President and CEO of Vietnam Veterans of America, reminds us of an even more sobering fact: “ Today, there are more homeless Veterans from the Vietnam War era than were killed during the war. These Veterans are elderly, frail and in declining health and are being forced to live in deplorable circumstances. Make no mistake, VVA is fully committed to ending these inhumane living conditions by ensuring that our fellow Veterans get the quality housing and care they need and deserve.”
Correspondingly, we seek to take immediate action to provide our fellow Veterans with emergency shelter instead of prodding along month after month as our fellow Veterans suffer unnecessarily.
As you also know, the VA has the authority to grant a temporary license agreement to non-federal parties and to allow such parties to enter upon VA property for lawful purposes.
In this case, we respectfully request that the VA grant Vietnam Veterans of America, Region 9, a 10-month revocable license to enable us to provide the VA with a crisis homeless-Veteran shelter program on V A grounds for the benefit of disabled and homeless veterans. We propose providing a long-term Stand Down similar to the three-day Stand Down originated by Vietnam Veterans of San Diego more than 25 years ago. (See link below)
We have the necessary Stand Down Guides and Manuals, and are currently working with local neighborhood councils and volunteer programs but need to solidify a 10-month (until the end of the year) license agreement or land use permit with the VA so that we can expedite the necessity of bringing an end to Veteran homelessness in Los Angeles, possibly before the end of the year.
Accordingly, we respectfully ask that you extend prompt and cooperative assistance so that we can work together to help ensure that Veteran homelessness in Los Angeles will cease before the end of the year.
Homeless Veterans: Stand Down – CBS 60 Minutes
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/homeless-veterans-stand-down/
Sincerely,
Dick Southern
Region 9 Director
P. O. Box 68
Tuolumne, CA 95379
Mr. Rosebrock may be contacted at rrosebrock1@aol.com