Building 207 is the first of 20 similar building rehab projects that will be undertaken at the VA
By Jeff Hall
On February 28, VA officials, builders, veterans and community leaders celebrated the opening of 60 new housing units for veterans inside Building 207.
The formerly empty building has undergone significant rehab and upgrades in recent years. This is all part of a plan to build 1200 units of veteran housing on the VA campus, with a particular focus on providing permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless veterans.
Building 207 is the first of 20 similar building rehab projects that will be undertaken at the VA. The project is a partnership between Tom Safran & Associates, Century Housing, The Veterans Collective and U.S. Vets. City, county, state, federal and private groups provided funding.
Brentwood’s Tom Safran of Tom Safran & Associates (TSA) – a developer of low-income housing – was the main speaker at the Feb. 28 event.
Buildings designed by TSA include a big community space where residents can gather. This makes a building seem less institutional, according to Tyler Monroe of TSA.
Tours of the building were provided.
In Building 207, the community room includes comfortable couches, tables and chairs, TV screens, a pool table, desktop computers and a card table. Residential units include a bedroom, kitchenette, ample closet space and a bathroom.
There are an estimated 3,900 homeless veterans living on the streets of Los Angeles County.
Tanya Bradsher of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs came from Washington to underscore the VA’s commitment to providing housing for homeless veterans.
“You fought for us,” she said. “And we will fight for you.”
