By Sam Catanzaro
Final touches are being added to a homeless shelter near Brentwood that will house around 100 veterans.
In his February newsletter, Councilmember Mike Bonin announced that work crews have completed installing the sprung-structure tent, added a pet area to the facility and continued improving the landscaping around the area at a bridge housing facility at West Los Angeles VA Campus
“The crews will now move into the final phase of site preparation before the facility can open – installing beds and dividers in the sprung structure,” Bonin said.
Once complete, the site will include two 40’ x 120’ tension membrane structures and modular trailers, which will be located within the VA campus near existing buildings and services.
The site will offer roughly 100 beds for currently homeless veterans, as well as storage for residents, personal hygiene and laundry facilities, supportive and community engagement services, and 24-hour security.
This bridge housing facility will be temporary — and not to be visible from the exterior of the campus — as the VA constructs out its Draft Master Plan, which will provide 1200 units of permanent supportive housing on the campus.
The facility was expected to open in early 2019, but crews experienced a delay on the site when they uncovered old pipes that needed special attention as the site was prepared for the temporary structures.
In addition, mud from a rainy winter and asbestos that was discovered hindered the project.
Across the street at the West Los Angeles National Guard Armory, the federal government has approved plans to build a bridge housing center there for non-veteran homeless individuals in the area.
Last week another bridge housing center opened in Venice.
