Conway Collis, president and CEO of the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, speaks as L.A. Mayor Karen Bass looks on during a press conference to announce a new partnership between the Mayor’s Fund and U.S. VETS aimed at preventing veterans from becoming homeless. The announcement was made at the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall near downtown L.A. on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. and the nonprofit U.S.
The Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, an independent nonprofit with close ties to City Hall, made addressing homelessness a priority last year after Bass took office. U.S. VETS offers emergency, transitional and permanent housing; career and employment counseling; supports for women veterans including case management, mental health counseling and access to childcare; supports for veterans on community college campuses, including mental health services; funds for veterans and their families who are at risk of becoming homeless as well as those who are homeless; and legal advocacy, among other services.
“We’ve been able to build housing for veterans that sit vacant because veterans can’t qualify,” she said.