Veteran Housing Plan in Los Angeles Put on Hold by Federal Court

A federal appeals court has temporarily halted a plan to house 3,000 homeless veterans on the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs (VA) campus, delaying the initiative until at least April 2025. On Tuesday evening, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay, postponing a lower court's directive to begin the installation of 100 temporary housing units on the campus.

The original plan was part of U.S. District Judge David O. Carter’s decision in September concerning Powers v. McDonough, a lawsuit brought by 14 homeless veterans. Judge Carter pointed to the 1888 deed of the property, which designated its use exclusively for veterans, and voiced his discontent with the VA regarding commercial land leases that did not meet their intended purpose. Carter instructed the VA to provide 750 temporary housing units by 2026 and an extra 1,800 permanent units by 2030.

The VA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development worked together to request the stay, emphasizing concerns about resources and implementation. The decision assigns the responsibility to the new VA Secretary, former Rep. Doug Collins, as part of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.

Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney offering pro-bono services for veterans, voiced his disapproval of the stay, arguing that the VA’s budget of $407 billion undermines assertions of insufficient resources. “This Thanksgiving, homeless veterans in Los Angeles have scant reasons to express gratitude towards their government,” he stated.

The VA previously highlighted its successes in tackling veteran homelessness through its "housing first" approach, noting that nearly 48,000 veterans were permanently housed in fiscal 2024.

The 9th Circuit’s ruling delays what advocates describe as an essential effort to address homelessness among veterans in Los Angeles, a city that has one of the highest numbers of homeless veterans in the nation. The hearing for the case is scheduled for April 2025.

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