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Extraído del Informe Consolidado

Esta investigación fue publicada originalmente como parte de un informe consolidado más amplio que contiene múltiples investigaciones. Consulte el PDF consolidado para ver el documento completo.

Los Angeles County Grand Jury • 2016-2017

8. Transforming the Lives of Homeless Veterans Living in Los Angeles County

16 pages
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Findings 9 findings

F1 Page 116
Many of HV simply didn’t know how or where to go to seek assistance, other than the Veterans Administration. There is no outreach to veterans in the areas of heavy HV concentration, which is mainly the Skid Row area.
F2 Page 116
County benefits are given only for one year of assistance, after which one needs to reapply for extended benefits. This is not enough time to achieve a lifestyle readjustment. There must be a minimum of two years assistance per application period in order to seek and find housing, establish medical support and job training in order to ensure that the HV regains a smooth entry into civilian society.
F3 Page 116
Much of the humanitarian assistance to the HV e.g. medical, housing and counseling, is provided by nonprofit organizations, for example Los Angeles Rescue Mission and Union Rescue Mission. Many HV camp in tents or make-shift shelters in places like Skid Row. The CGJ visited several missions and hotels on Skid Row which feed the general homeless population, and found that the majority of HV live within short walking distance of these missions.
F4
The OMVA is located in Patriotic Hall. They help veterans with the paperwork to obtain their military benefits. Many HV are unaware of or unable to get to Patriotic Hall which is approximately 2.9 miles from the Skid Row area. We discovered through our interviews with HV that they will not travel across the city because they lack the ability of securing their possessions. If HV venture out to Patriotic Hall, all their belongings would be in jeopardy of being confiscated, as they are kept in shopping carts and tents.
F5 Page 116
Measure HHH was passed by the City of Los Angeles to provide housing for the homeless. The initiative allocated approximately $1.2 billion a year. The CGJ would like to see the City allocate a percentage of these monies specifically to HV in the City of Los Angeles.
F6 Page 116
Measure H was passed by the County to provide supportive services for the homeless to include coverage for first and last months’ rent payments. This proposition added a .25% sales tax for the County of Los Angeles, which is expected to bring in approximately $300 million annually. The CGJ would like to see the County allocate a percentage of these monies specifically to HV and their families for supportive services in the County. 100 2016-2017 LOS ANGELES COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT
F7 Page 117
The CGJ found that approximately $5 million in federal grant money was given to the Homeless Initiative for the Home for Heroes and the HACoLA programs. The LASHA and HACoLA programs’ expenditures, reflected in Figures 1, 2, 3, show the breakdowns. Pursuant to interviews with executives in the Homeless Initiative Department of the CEO’s office, 15% was utilized for administrative services by the CEO before it was distributed to the Home for Heroes Program. Once the contracts are awarded, additional administrative fees will incur. Pursuant to California Military & Veterans Code Section 927, this is not allowed.
F8 Page 117
A number of County and Los Angeles City offices have a working relationship with the missions throughout the County. These relationships have assisted HV to obtain housing and supportive services. However, as seen in Figure 3, and as described to us during our interviews, successes have not been as plentiful as desired.
F9 Page 117
As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the procurement process is very slow. Authorized funding is not reaching those in need in a timely manner. Funding allocated in 2015 was to be distributed over an 18 month period through June 30, 2017. As of this writing, no contracts have been approved or funded. V

Recommendations 10