Veterans stunned by VA plans to build hundreds of 8-by-8ft sheds in California for ex-service members to live in [View all]
Source: msn/The Independent
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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has sparked anger after unveiling plans to build hundreds of “tiny homes”, which campaigners said were little more than sheds, on its West Los Angeles campus. The move, which comes after veterans successfully sued the agency to force major housing expansion on the site, is designed to solve homelessness among ex service members, but has been criticized as only offering them temporary accommodation.
VA officials revealed the proposal during a court hearing this week, describing the small structures as an initial step toward complying with a federal order requiring the agency to create thousands of new temporary and permanent housing units for unhoused veterans. But the veterans behind the lawsuit say the plan falls far short of what they intended.
One of their attorneys, Roman Silberfeld, told the court there was a “disconnect” between what the plaintiffs had asked for and what the VA is now proposing, noting that “they talk about the sheds. We never talked about that,” the LA Times reports. The VA has already placed more than 100 of the 8‑by‑8‑foot units on the campus to house veterans who had been living in a nearby encampment.
But these structures, increasingly used as quick‑build homelessness shelters, have long drawn criticism for being cramped, hard to navigate for people with mobility issues, and unsuitable for long‑term stays. VA counsel Robert Fleck told the court the VA has sufficient funds to complete the temporary housing by the end of this year, but not the permanent housing, The Times added.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-nz/society-culture-and-history/social-issues/veterans-stunned-by-va-plan-for-hundreds-of-tiny-sheds-in-california/ar-AA1UKM9v
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