Programming note: With an estimated 107,000 homeless vets in the U.S., Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores their daily struggles and the legal battle over a plan to help them. Watch "CNN Presents" Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Los Angeles (CNN) -- The connection seems obvious: nearly 400 acres of land set aside to house veterans and thousands of veterans who need a place to call home.
But Los Angeles' estimated 8,000 homeless vets have been barred from living at the sprawling campus for decades. The West Los Angeles property -- some of the most valuable in the nation -- was donated in 1888 to "establish, construct and permanently maintain" a branch of a national home for veterans, according to the original deed.
And for nearly a century, that's what happened: permanent veterans facilities sprang up, including a post office, a trolley system and housing for as many as 4,000 vets, said American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Mark Rosenbaum.
But "beginning with the Vietnam War era, vets were kicked out," said Rosenbaum, who's leading a class-action suit over the property against the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Now, a generation after Vietnam, the facility's abandoned buildings are off limits to the veterans they were intended to serve.
"It's a shame," said Carolina Barrie, a descendant of the heiress who donated the land. Veterans should be "given every single opportunity to rehab their lives -- and if they have no place to live, a place to live."
The VA saw fit to lease parts of the property to several businesses. In September, the VA canceled three leases after rising criticism. But other entities remain on the property including a public golf course, a college baseball stadium, a theater and practice fields for the exclusive private Brentwood School.
CNN's initial requests to the VA for its side of the lawsuit were referred to the Justice Department, which said it wouldn't comment while the case is still pending.
Vet: 'I just wanted to die or go to prison'
Iraq war veteran Robert Rissman, 22, isn't part of the lawsuit, but he has spent years battling addiction, post-traumatic-stress disorder and homelessness.
As an 18-year-old high school senior, Rissman signed up with the Army intending to "go to college and make something of myself," he said. "And the Army said they'd pay for it. "
He was deployed to Iraq for a year as part of a quick response unit that saw constant action. Upon his return to Colorado's Fort Carson, Rissman was diagnosed with PTSD. Nightmares and paranoia haunted him.
It got worse. According to Army papers, he once spent a day drinking and sitting on his bed pointing with the barrel of an illegal sawed-off shotgun in his mouth. "I just wanted to die or go to prison," he said. "And that was where I was headed and I knew that was where I was going and I was OK with that."
After leaving the Army, Rissman ended up homeless in Arizona and later Los Angeles, where he "was doing a lot of methamphetamines" and "smoking a lot of dope."
Study: PTSD signals long-term health problems
Accurate figures are hard to come by, but the VA in its most recent report estimates about 107,000 veterans find themselves homeless on any given night. Mental illness plagues 45% of homeless vets and 70% suffer from some kind of substance abuse, according to the VA.
Washington has OK'd $35.5 million to renovate various buildings on the campus including "Building 209 for housing facilities for homeless veterans," according to a bill signed by President Obama this month.
The facility would provide vets with 70 permanent housing units, far short of the living space needed to house LA's homeless vets.
The VA has launched an aggressive national plan with an ambitious goal: eliminating homelessness among veterans by 2015.
Under the joint program with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, homeless veterans get federal vouchers to help them pay rent.
Resource:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/22/health/homeless-veterans/index.html?&hpt=hp_c2
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Heroes Without Homes: Homeless Veteransby HartfordFoundation222 views
My heart goes out to this man
JesterPoetryArtVlogs 2 months ago
This really bothers me for our veterans and soldiers. They are risking their lives and I know they see things that no one should ever experience. They should not have to deal with this...at all. I pray that he will get a job and a home.
drroberson4 3 months ago
So sad the our soldiers are treated when they return home after putting their lives on the line and those who have given their lives for our country and our freedom.
TheJenBak 4 months ago