Location:  West Los Angeles, California

Client:  Veterans Advocacy

Johnson Fain prepared this updated Draft Master Plan for the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs campus based on Veteran and community feedback during the Preliminary Draft Master Plan Public Comment period. This is the culmination of a process that began in June 2015, and represents unprecedented input and response to VA and the Secretary’s team with over 100 meetings and over 1,000 responses in the Federal Register. The comments and data collected during this period were carefully reviewed and incorporated to reflect and address Veteran and stakeholder interests in the planning process.

The Draft Master Plan for the West Los Angeles VA Campus is a framework that will guide VA in determining and implementing the most effective use of the campus for Veterans, particularly for homeless Veterans, including underserved populations such as female Veterans, aging Veterans, and those who are severely physically or mentally disabled. The primary considerations include:

  • provision of appropriate levels of supportive housing on the campus, in renovated existing buildings or newly constructed facilities;
  • need for appropriate levels of bridge and emergency housing along with short-term treatment services on campus, to provide state-of-the-art primary care, mental health, and addiction services to Veterans, particularly those that are chronically homeless;
  • respect for individual Veteran choices on whether to seek housing at the West LA Campus or in the local community; and
  • parameters of applicable law, including but not limited to the appropriate integration of persons with disabilities into the community, and applicable environmental and historic preservation laws, regulations, and consultation requirements.