Housing homeless vets with jobs?

I’ve been visiting VAMC WLA several times a week to learn more about what goes on there.

Archis Acres founder and Iraq vet Colin Archipley, the VFP LA President and I met with Assets Management Director Ralph Tillman on Friday but there was only time for Archis Acres to present their program.  I am meeting with  Tillman next week.  I would really like young vets with me….Colin Archipley got a good reception.
The meeting last week only covered Archis Acres,  but Tillman was very receptive,  I thought.  We learned about the process of applying for use of VAMC WLA property.  Young vets can learn to do this via the VA’s grant and per diem page and with foundation grants.   They also can earn a living doing it.

This next meeting I will ask him the hard questions about Veterans Park Conservancy,  Brentwood and Westwood intentions etc.  So far the only land grab that has happened is by the national guard, army reserve, us post office, cemetary and the highways.  Probably we should question the giving away of the property to the army reserve, california national guard and post office?  The highway took the property under imminent domain I guess.  The original gift was 600 acres, not 388.  The cemetary will never heal any vets.
There is a lot going on on campus with California Vets Home under construction and 3.2 billion dollars promised for homeless vets.

They have put out a RFP (request for proposal) for one of the vacant buildings adjacent to Strawberry Flag twice,  and both times the bidder backed out because the cost of bringing the building up to code for residency was too high for the committment that the VA would make (McCormick Baron Salazar once and Commongrounds once).  The Salvation Army is housing nearly three hundred homeless vets in its facilities and New Directions has about three hundred.  Hundreds more are at the domiciliary and more in other buildings that are confidential.  Metabolic Studios is using some space and the land between the buildings for Strawberry Flag and productions and just got another six month lease.  The funder of New Directions, Metabolic Studios, Strawberry Flag and Veterans Park Conservancy is Annenberg Foundation.

I will be meeting with Tillman this week and hope to meet with someone from Annenberg about assurances re VPC next week.

Best wishes, Lane