LA Mayor Karen Bass: ‘Veterans Shouldn’t Have to Choose Between Their Benefits and Housing’

EXCERPT:

BASS: “So, I have signed executive directives that fast-track building. You know, Los Angeles over the years has become extremely expensive to live in, so we have to address the supply of housing. We have to have a place for people to go while housing is being built and the wraparound services that Mayor Holt talked about. If we do not address this in a comprehensive manner, we are not going to succeed. And just to be clear, in Los Angeles we are talking about, in the city, we are talking about 46,000 people who are unhoused. And so, we can make a measurable difference, but we have to operate from several different perspectives, and that’s why we’re here in D.C. right now. We are trying to address a problem with veterans being unhoused. Veterans shouldn’t have to choose between their benefits and housing. So that’s the specific issue that over 40 mayors are here addressing on the Hill today."