‘Shriver plan’ has competition
BRENTWOOD — Santa Monica city officials on Wednesday officially endorsed a plan to convert a 387-acre site here into a homeless shelter serving between 300 and 500 down-and-out veterans.
The proposal, initiated by Santa Monica City Councilman Bobby Shriver, calls for re-developing the Veteran Administration’s largely abandoned West Los Angeles campus into a long-term therapeutic supportive housing facility for American service- VA GROUNDS, from page 1 Officials said the “Shriver plan” may also be competing with several projects for use of the site, including commercial interests which may want to use the VA facilities for pharmaceutical research, or to build high-rise condominiums, they said.
The VA’s leadership will consider Shriver’s and other proposals during a public comment session set for Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Wadsworth Theater on VA grounds, which can be accessed from Wilshire Boulevard just west of San Vicente.
At the meeting, the public will also hear from the VA’s consultant about future land use options for the West Los Angeles VA campus.
Shriver said his proposals would align well with the VA’s mission to serve veterans, since many lack shelter.
“In the lobby of the West LA VA hospital, a sign reads, ‘The cost of war is visible here,’” Shriver said. “The cost of war is also visible on our city streets.”
The new housing would give veterans access to the many successful rehabilitative programs the VA already has in place on the West LA campus, Shriver said.
Westside elected officials, including Los Angeles Councilmember Bill Rosen-dahl, Santa Monica Councilmember Richard Bloom, West Hollywood Coun-cilmember Jeffrey Prang, Culver City Councilmember Carol Gross and Shriver, are expected to attend and speak on behalf of the proposal. Santa Monica Mayor Pam O’Connor noted that this broad-based support by local elected officials confirms that both the problem of homelessness and measures to end it must be addressed regionally.
A coalition of service providers have also agreed to work together in hopes the VA will convert abandoned buildings into the veteran’s shelter. Shriver presented his proposal to local leaders at an August meeting.
Santa Monica staff participated in a May 6 meeting hosted by the VA, at which officials discussed alternative uses for several VA sites around the country, including the West LA campus. The proposal intends to take advantage of the existing facility in order to provide “all services on site” for the homeless veterans, including medical, psychological and social assistance.
The project would accommodate as many as 500 chronically homeless veterans, as well as those with other needs, such as those dealing with mental illness or suffering from substance abuse. It’s the coalition’s intent that half of the veterans served are chronically homeless.
The number of homeless veterans in Los Angeles County is estimated to be between 17,000 and 18,000.
The project would be financed from the five participating organizations, which include the U.S. VETS, New Directions, Inc., and the Salvation Army. Primary sources of funding are expected to come from federal, state and local grants, as well as private donations. The proposal doesn’t state how much the project might cost.
Officials say developers at the moment seem to have the inside track on the VA grounds. The VA, which is undertaking a national overhaul to renovate many of its under-utilized facilities, may be looking to bolster revenue for its operations by the liquidation of some of its properties, officials said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 22, 2005. Read the original PDF.