[Newsletter] Village for Vets COVID-19 Response
The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) has opened A Bridge Housing facility for 50 Veterans.
Homeless Veterans are moving onto the VA Campus with their belongings. They are provided with bathrooms, hand-washing stations, showers, and the full scope of social services provided by the VA. The VA will accommodate 25 Veterans to start and will expand in increments of 25 as needed. Village for Vets is providing breakfast; Brentwood School is providing lunch and dinner during the week and Fresh Lunches is providing lunch and dinner on weekends.
Our Veterans Emergency Fund is receiving triple the number of cases each week as many at-risk and formerly homeless Veterans need help meeting basic needs like food, medical care and emergency shelter to keep themselves and their families safe. We are seeking donations to expand our ability to provide vital support to these Veterans.
This week, the VA identified the following additional items as emergency needs:
IPADS and Tablets – OVER 400 are desired for Vets to access telehealth
Water in 5-gallon bottles with pumps – 25 needed next month for the tent housing area
N95 Face masks for frontline workers – as many as possible as supplies are running low.
The VA needs volunteers who are healthy and have no pre-existing conditions. Volunteers will be protected with masks and hand sanitizer.
It truly does take a village for care for our vulnerable Veterans and we are happy to report that the village really showed up over the past couple of weeks. We would like to give a shout out to the many organizations and individuals who have supported our efforts to care for homeless Veterans on the VA campus. We are especially grateful to Operation Gratitude for their generous in-kind donation of items totaling $90,000 including hand sanitizer, hygiene kits, games and puzzles, and Starbucks coffee; andShelter Partnership for their donation of soap, blankets, diapers and socks. We are so grateful Fresh Lunches and Food Love LAfor joining our efforts to provide meals to homeless Veterans and the Red Cross Los Angeles for donating 4 pallets of much needed water as well as extra blankets. Finally, we would like to thank theAmerican Legion Post 283 approving additional funding to help us handle the influx of Emergency Fund cases.
Please join this village by donating to support homeless Veterans.