Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Researchers say that Los Angeles remains an epicenter of homelessness for veterans nationwide, with a report published Thursday finding that homeless veterans in Los Angeles struggle to find services to meet their needs.
Veterans make up about 6% of the U.S. population, but 8% of its homeless population.
The number of veterans experiencing homelessness has been cut nearly in half between 2009 and 2019, but more than 37,000 nationwide were still experiencing homelessness in January 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
According to HUD, about 580,000 people in the general population were homeless as of January 2020.
The new report's lead author, Sarah Hunter, director of the RAND Center on Housing and Homelessness in Los Angeles, cited a homeless population of around 3,900 homeless veterans each year in Los Angeles since 2015 -- despite other regions making progress in reducing the number of veterans experiencing homelessness.
In particular, three states, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, have found a permanent housing solution for veterans within 90 days.
"None of those places are confronting the acute, widespread homelessness that plagues Los Angeles," Hunter wrote Thursday in an editorial published by the Los Angeles Times.
"The city has the largest VA medical center in the nation. There are federal housing programs exclusively for veterans. So why hasn't Los Angeles been able to make a dent?" Hunter wrote.
As part of the report, Hunter and researchers from Rand and the University of Southern California followed 26 homeless veterans over a year-long period, starting in August 2019, to see why the city hadn't been able to help find them a permanent place to live.
Over the year, 17 of the 26 veterans received some kind of stable housing, which included leaving Los Angeles and participating in programs set up in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the Project Roomkey initiative, but only three obtained permanent housing.
Homeless denizen cleans his bicycle at an encampment, adjacent to the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center during the coronavirus pandemic in Los Angeles. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
The majority of the veterans studied were getting assistance from non-VA service providers or no help at all, Hunter said.
"I am just so surprised that there aren't vans that come around and offer shuttle service [to the VA]," Shandra, then 42 and an Air Force veteran, told the research group in early 2020. "I am just surprised that there aren't people that are willing to meet you to help you navigate through some of these difficult phone calls and paperwork."
Researchers found that the VA's outreach team consisted of five individuals who were responsible for Los Angeles and parts of adjacent counties, and lacked medical or behavioral health expertise and mobile technology to help veterans.
The stable housing did, however, improve mental health, quality of life and social support, and reduced costly emergency room visits and hospital stays, according to the research.
"Housing was a priority for the people we studied, but often they did not like the options available to them," Hunter said Thursday in a press release.
The type of housing the VA offered sometimes failed to meet their needs and preferences, including some veterans turning down shelter they deemed unsafe, the researchers found.
"They wanted a safe and private place that respects their autonomy. Housing options need to be aligned with veterans' housing preferences. If housing opportunities do not respect their needs, they will say, 'Screw this, I will go pitch a tent in the park,'" Hunter said.
Some veterans with substance abuse issues also became homeless again after breaking sobriety rules, while others struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, too much noise or had difficulty using VA rent vouchers.
"Veterans are a priority population who generally have access to services, but few of those we followed found permanent housing," Hunter said in the press release. "This study demonstrates how difficult it can be for people who are unhoused to navigate the system to find suitable housing."
"I am just so surprised that there aren't vans that come around and offer shuttle service [to the VA]," Shandra, then 42 and an Air Force veteran, told the research group in early 2020. "I am just surprised that there aren't people that are willing to meet you to help you navigate through some of these difficult phone calls and paperwork."
Researchers found that the VA's outreach team consisted of five individuals who were responsible for Los Angeles and parts of adjacent counties, and lacked medical or behavioral health expertise and mobile technology to help veterans.
The stable housing did, however, improve mental health, quality of life and social support, and reduced costly emergency room visits and hospital stays, according to the research.
"Housing was a priority for the people we studied, but often they did not like the options available to them," Hunter said Thursday in a press release.
The type of housing the VA offered sometimes failed to meet their needs and preferences, including some veterans turning down shelter they deemed unsafe, the researchers found.
"They wanted a safe and private place that respects their autonomy. Housing options need to be aligned with veterans' housing preferences. If housing opportunities do not respect their needs, they will say, 'Screw this, I will go pitch a tent in the park,'" Hunter said.
Some veterans with substance abuse issues also became homeless again after breaking sobriety rules, while others struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, too much noise or had difficulty using VA rent vouchers.
"Veterans are a priority population who generally have access to services, but few of those we followed found permanent housing," Hunter said in the press release. "This study demonstrates how difficult it can be for people who are unhoused to navigate the system to find suitable housing."
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