Veterans Row

Veterans Row was a veteran-led protest encampment that operated from mid-2020 to November 2021 along San Vicente Boulevard outside the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center in Brentwood, Los Angeles. The encampment housed exclusively United States military veterans and served as a protest against the Department of Veterans Affairs' use of campus land for purposes unrelated to veteran care.[1][2]

The encampment ended in November 2021 following a commitment by United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough to house all residents and accelerate veteran housing development on the campus.[3] Veterans Row is considered a catalyst for subsequent housing development and legal victories that compelled major changes to VA land use practices.[4]

Background

The West Los Angeles VA Medical Center was established on land donated in 1888 by Arcadia Bandini de Stearns Baker and John Percival Jones with the legally binding condition that it be used "permanently as a home for disabled veterans."[5] The site initially operated as the Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, housing up to 5,000 veterans by the 1950s in a self-contained residential community.[6]

Beginning in the 1960s-1970s, the VA stopped accepting new permanent residents and began leasing portions of the 388-acre campus to non-veteran entities, including UCLA athletic facilities, Brentwood School sports complexes, and various commercial operations.[7] These arrangements became controversial as Los Angeles County developed the largest population of unhoused veterans in the United States, with nearly 4,000 veterans experiencing homelessness by 2023.[8] Legal challenges to the VA's land use practices began with the 2011 lawsuit Valentini v. Shinseki, which resulted in a 2015 settlement requiring the VA to develop a master plan focused on veteran housing.[7] Congress subsequently passed the West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016, requiring that all campus leases "principally benefit veterans and their families."[9] However, VA Office of Inspector General reports in 2018 and 2021 found continued non-compliance with these requirements.[10][11]

Formation and organization

In mid-2020, the VA removed temporary "pup tents" from its campus as part of COVID-19 access restrictions, displacing several homeless veterans who had been sheltering there.[12] These veterans established an encampment on the public sidewalk directly outside the VA gates.[2][12]

The conservative organization Judicial Watch provided large military-style tents after the VA declined their donation offer due to administrative barriers.[12] Veterans erected these tents in a disciplined, orderly formation with each tent displaying an American flag and housing a single veteran despite larger capacity. This deliberate organization aimed to project military discipline and patriotic symbolism.[13]

A moratorium on encampment clearances during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed the site to establish and grow to approximately 40 residents by 2021, all confirmed military veterans.[14] Residents implemented internal governance systems including nightly fire watches and assigned roles for security and maintenance, reflecting their military backgrounds.[2]

Key organizers included Army veteran Robert Reynolds, who coordinated resident services and media relations, and Ryan Thompson of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers Coalition, who focused on legal advocacy and the historical arguments underlying the protest.[15][16]

Public attention and federal response

Veterans Row attracted sustained local and national media coverage due to its unique nature as an organized, veterans-only protest and its location outside the VA facility.[1] The encampment drew visits from political figures including then-U.S. Representative Karen Bass and mayoral candidates.[17]

The encampment experienced several serious safety incidents in 2021, including a vehicle crash that injured three residents in March and two homicides - a vehicular incident in April and a fatal stabbing in September.[18][19][20]

Secretary McDonough visited Veterans Row on October 20, 2021, and announced a commitment to house all encampment residents by November 1, 2021, and an additional 500 homeless veterans in Los Angeles by year-end.[3] McDonough framed this as part of a broader federal initiative to address veteran homelessness and fulfill the government's obligations to veterans.[21]

Resolution and relocation

A coordinated effort involving the VA, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), and nonprofit organizations including U.S.VETS worked to place residents in housing options including hotel rooms through California's Project Roomkey program, transitional housing programs, and newly constructed "tiny shelters" on the VA campus.[22][23]

The encampment was cooperatively cleared between November 1-3, 2021, with outreach workers facilitating relocations while law enforcement maintained security.[22] The VA exceeded its commitment, reporting that it housed over 700 veterans in Los Angeles by early 2022.[24]

Legacy and impact

Housing development

Veterans Row drew attention to the VA's progress on its 2016 Master Plan to construct 1,200 units of permanent supportive housing on the campus.[25] Following the encampment's closure, housing development accelerated with approximately 237 permanent units completed by 2024 and hundreds more under construction through partnerships including The Veterans Collective.[26][27]

Several former Veterans Row residents became plaintiffs in the 2022 lawsuit Powers v. McDonough, which challenged continued VA non-compliance with federal law.[28] In September 2024, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ruled that the VA had violated federal law and ordered:

  • Creation of 750 temporary housing units within 18 months
  • Construction of 1,800 additional permanent supportive housing units within six years
  • Termination of several campus leases with non-veteran entities, including agreements with UCLA and Brentwood School[4]

The court found these leases violated the requirement that campus land use "principally benefit veterans."[29] The VA appealed this ruling in late 2024.[30]

Policy influence

Veterans Row demonstrated the effectiveness of organized protest in compelling federal action on veteran homelessness. The encampment's visibility and symbolic power contributed to increased funding for veteran housing programs and policy changes within the VA system.[31] The protest also influenced the development of new outreach models, including co-located "encampment medicine" teams designed to build trust with homeless veterans.[32]

Media coverage

Veterans Row received extensive local and national media coverage, with outlets focusing on the visual symbolism of flag-draped tents positioned outside a VA facility.[1] Regular coverage came from the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, Spectrum News 1, and CBS News, among others.[17][12][33]

The most comprehensive coverage was the KCRW podcast City of Tents: Veterans Row, an eight-episode investigative series released in 2023 that provided detailed interviews with residents, officials, community members, and advocates throughout the encampment's history.[2] The encampment was also featured in documentary films including The Promised Land (2023), directed by Army veteran Rebecca Murga.[34]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "4,000 veterans live unhoused in LA County. 'City of Tents' explores Veterans Row". NPR. March 15, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "City of Tents: Veterans Row". KCRW. February 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "McDonough pledges to house homeless vets on Veterans Row by Nov. 1". Stars and Stripes. October 20, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Major Victory for Veterans in Powers v. McDonough Case". Inner City Law Center. September 6, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  5. ^ "History – VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System". U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. December 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "History of the West LA VA". Vets Advocacy.
  7. ^ a b "Valentini v. Shinseki". ACLU of Southern California. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  8. ^ "Veteran Homelessness Drops 22.9% from Year Before". Los Angeles County. July 3, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  9. ^ "H.R.5936 - West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016". Congress.gov. September 29, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  10. ^ "VA's Management of Land Use Under the West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016". VA Office of Inspector General. September 28, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  11. ^ "VA's Management of Land Use under the West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016: Five-Year Report" (PDF). VA Office of Inspector General. September 29, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d "Inside Veterans Row, the Tent City That's Sprung Up Outside the VA". Los Angeles Magazine. July 10, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  13. ^ "The True Price of Freedom: A Look at Veterans Row". Invisible People. September 17, 2021.
  14. ^ "Who Killed Andre Butler?". Long Lead. June 2024.
  15. ^ "New Documentary Follows LA Veterans". Military.com. August 7, 2024.
  16. ^ "Veterans Row: A Microcosm of Our Homelessness Crisis". CityWatch LA. May 23, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "VA says it will house homeless veterans who are camped around its West L.A. campus". Los Angeles Times. October 20, 2021.
  18. ^ "Driver who crashed into Veterans Row encampment was not charged". Los Angeles Times. March 8, 2021.
  19. ^ "Veterans Row Resident Arrested in Fatal Crash". Daily Bruin. April 5, 2021.
  20. ^ "Homeless veteran stabbed to death at encampment near VA in West L.A." Los Angeles Times. September 15, 2021.
  21. ^ "VA secretary talks claims backlog, homelessness, COVID-19 vaccinations during press conference". VA News. October 20, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Effort begins to relocate homeless in 'Veterans Row'". Spectrum News 1. November 1, 2021.
  23. ^ "U.S.VETS Works to Place Homeless Veterans along "Veterans Row" in Supportive Housing". U.S.VETS. November 1, 2021.
  24. ^ "Los Angeles VA exceeds Secretary's promise to house 500 homeless Veterans" (Press release). VA News. January 11, 2022.
  25. ^ "VA West Los Angeles Campus Master Plan". U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. December 16, 2024.
  26. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". The Veterans Collective. February 9, 2024.
  27. ^ "Veterans win back the West LA VA Campus". Daily Journal. October 23, 2024.
  28. ^ "Case: Powers v. McDonough". Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse.
  29. ^ "Judge rules Veterans Affairs misused land designated for homeless veterans" (Press release). ACLU of Southern California. October 24, 2024.
  30. ^ "VA to appeal federal judge's orders on West LA land". Daily Journal. October 24, 2024.
  31. ^ Twenty-Six Veterans: A Longitudinal Case Study of Veterans Experiencing Homelessness in Los Angeles, 2019–2020 (Report). RAND Corporation. 2021.
  32. ^ "Veterans Finding Community and a "Home" Within an Emergency Housing Environment". Journal of Primary Care & Community Health. 14. June 10, 2023. PMC 10272632.
  33. ^ "'Veterans Row' Homeless Encampment Near Brentwood Cleared Out Monday". CBS News. November 1, 2021.
  34. ^ "From formation to tent city: New doc follows vets' fight for housing". Military Times. August 31, 2024.
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