West Los Angeles VA breaks ground on new housing for homeless veterans

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Tents filled with homeless veterans once lined the streets near the West Los Angeles VA in Brentwood.

Now, streets are clear as the VA expands with five new buildings that will house vets and their families. A sixth building that's a part of the project is already complete.

Ernest McFadden, a veteran who was once homeless, lives there.

"COVID hit ... at that time I was housed and I had a job with Volunteers of America," said McFadden, "COVID hit and everything went crazy."

Newly renovated building 207 opened in January and all 60 rooms are full with senior veterans, ages 62 and older. This gives residents like Ernest a roof and a second chance.

"I'm not going to say heaven but you can relax, I can plan" said McFadden. "I'm going to Houston, Texas, to see my youngest granddaughter. She dances with the Houston Ballet ... these are the things that you can't do when you're homeless."

Once complete, the West LA VA campus will feature at least 1,200 housing units with potential to house up to 1,700 units.

Developers estimate they're about halfway through construction. For some, the project is personal.

"My grandfather was a veteran of World War II," said Brian D'Andrea, the senior VP for Century Housing Corporation. "I saw the suffering that he experienced coming back to the United States, and it is my hope that the work that we're doing will help all of our veterans with that reintegration process."

The new construction project will make the West LA VA the largest supportive housing development for veterans in the country.

"For us, it's been a success story," said Tyler Monroe, the Senior Vice President of Thomas Safran & Associates, which has thousands of affordable and mixed-use rental housing in Southern California. "It's obviously the very beginning so time will tell, but the community is beginning to come together. Folks that had previously been unhoused have a terrific wonderful new place to live."