28 January 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs reaches a historic breakthrough on the way to end homelessness among Los Angeles veterans. The lawsuit, initiated by the Annenberg foundation and taken forward by the ACLU, led to a memorandum in which both parties commit to make the West LA site a effective part in ending homelessness, just as originally intended when the land was gifted to the nation.
Under the agreement, Secretary McDonald will also launch an accelerated process to develop a new long-term Master Plan for the future use of the West Los Angeles campus. This Master Plan, which is targeted to be completed by October 16, 2015, will prioritize the provision of bridge housing and permanent supportive housing. It will also describe an exit strategy for third-party land use agreements that do not comply with applicable laws, and do not fit within the Master Plan. Representatives from the veterans’ community will be actively involved in providing input to the Master Plan, along with other stakeholders, including the local community.
Attorneys for homeless veterans agreed to pursue a dismissal of the lawsuit Valentini v. McDonald, which was filed in 2011. Plaintiffs are represented by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, Public Counsel, and Inner City Law Center, with the pro bono support of Arnold & Porter LLP, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, and Harvard Law School Professor Laurence H. Tribe.
Vincent Kane has in the meantime been appointed as the special representative for the VA, a non-profit to work with community partners has been promised, and a urban masterplan for the site is on the horizon. Promising times!
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