Executive Order Seeks To Help Veterans “Earn Back Their Self-Sufficiency”
When our nation’s men and women in uniform return to civilian life with an honorable discharge, they shouldn’t be homeless.
However, veterans make up an estimated 5% of all cases of homelessness in America.
In an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on May 9, a National Center for Warrior Independence will be established in Los Angeles … and it will be paid for with funds that were previously directed to illegal aliens.
The Executive Order
In the May 9 executive order, the sacrifices of veterans of the United States Armed Forces is highlighted, with the order reading:
“Many service members paid the ultimate sacrifice. Many others bear visible and invisible wounds from their service. Too many veterans are homeless in America. Each veteran deserves our gratitude.”
The order goes on to say that “the Federal Government has not always treated veterans like the heroes they are,” adding, “During the previous administration, unaccountable bureaucrats treated them shamefully, failing veterans when they needed help most and betraying the taxpayers who rightfully expect better.”
Identifying the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center as a facility indicative of the Biden administration’s shortcomings, the executive order notes it once housed 6,000 veterans, had a theater that could seat 1,000 people, and included a chapel.
“The Federal Government … allowed this crown jewel of veteran care to deteriorate over the last few decades,” the order states, noting it now houses around 3,000 veterans and that parts of the facility have been leased out to private companies.
To turn things around, in Los Angeles and the nation, Trump ordered the following:
“The VA campus in West Los Angeles will become the National Center for Warrior Independence with facilities and resources to help our veterans earn back their self-sufficiency.”
This facility will be open to veterans across the country, with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins working with VA facilities to be able to assist homeless veterans “are provided the means” to be cared for at the new National Center for Warrior Independence.
Working with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as well as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, “funds that may have been spent on housing or other services for illegal aliens” will be “redirected to construct, establish, and maintain this National Center for Warrior Independence.”
Programs will be bolstered which seek to help veterans be self-sufficient, addressing needs in not only homelessness, but also regarding addiction and employment.
Within 120 days of this May 9 order, a plan of action is to be presented on how to bring about the National Center for Warrior Independence, and by January 1, 2028, the facility is to be operating at its full capacity of 6,000 veterans.
Homeless Veterans
According to the 2024 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, which was drafted in December 2024 and presented to Congress by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “About six in every 10 veterans experiencing homelessness were sheltered, and the other four in 10 were unsheltered.”
This figure, and others regarding veterans, comes from a point-in-time study conducted in the last 10 days of January 2024.
During that time, a total of 32,882 homeless veterans across the nation were identified.
Of them, 13,851 are unsheltered, meaning they are “staying in places not meant for human habitation such as sidewalks, abandoned buildings, bus stations, and vehicles parked for long periods.”
On its website, the VA defines three areas of focus it has to end homelessness for veterans:
- Conduct coordinated outreach to seek out Veterans in need of assistance;
- Connect homeless and at-risk Veterans with housing solutions, healthcare, community employment services, and other support; and
- Collaborate with federal, state, and local agencies; employers; housing providers; faith-based and community nonprofits; and other groups to expand employment and affordable housing options for Veterans leaving homelessness.
