by Mitti Hicks
December 30, 2025
The ruling from the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals comes amid a class-action lawsuit filed by advocates for veterans with severe disabilities against the VA.
A federal appeals court has ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to finish a housing project that will serve thousands of homeless veterans in Los Angeles.
The ruling from the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals comes amid a class-action lawsuit filed by advocates for veterans with severe disabilities against the VA. Advocates argue that the VA must build housing on land the VA leased to private businesses.
According to Task and Purpose, the land was originally deeded to the federal government in 1888 to provide care and housing to veterans. Things changed by the 1970s when the campus focused on healthcare with its large hospital. The VA reportedly began leasing portions of the campus to schools and private companies. In recent years, parts of the campus were known as “Veterans Row” because of the homeless encampments that surrounded the campus with a significant number of former service members.
The decision from the three-judge panel on Dec. 23 upholds the 2024 ruling from a lower court, ordering the agency to build permanent and temporary housing units on the VA’s campus. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judges ruled that the VA had “strayed from its mission” and must terminate commercial agreements with some private businesses at the site to complete the subsidized housing campus. The court’s decision keeps in place a stadium lease with the University of California at Los Angeles, Stars and Stripes reports.
“This class action lawsuit, and its numerous appeals, demonstrates just how far the VA has strayed from its mission,” Circuit Judge Ana de Alba wrote in the opinion. “Here are now scores of unhoused veterans trying to survive in and around the greater Los Angeles area despite the acres of land deeded to the VA for their care.”
Housing For Veterans Amid Homeless Crisis in Los Angeles
In 2025, there are approximately 72,308 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County. While that’s a 4.8% decrease from 2024, LA has one of the highest numbers of homeless people in the United States.
Los Angeles County is also home to the highest number of veterans in the country. There are an estimated 3,000-3,900 homeless veterans in the LA area, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
With the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling, the subsidized housing will provide veterans with traumatic brain injuries, mental illness, and severe physical handicaps with direct access to care, as the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center is located on-site.
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