Trump Orders Launch of New National Center for Warrior Independence to Aid Homeless Veterans

In a sweeping Executive Order (EO) signed Thursday, President Donald J. Trump directed the establishment of a new National Center for Warrior Independence on the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs (VA) campus. The initiative is part of a broader plan to address homelessness among veterans and restore accountability within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Our Nation’s security, prosperity, and freedom would not be possible without our veterans,” the President said in the order. “Each veteran deserves our gratitude.” He criticized prior administrations for neglecting veterans’ needs, specifically citing what he described as “unaccountable bureaucrats” who “failed veterans when they needed help most.”

The EO sets a 2028 deadline to restore the West L.A. VA campus’s capacity to house up to 6,000 homeless veterans. The campus, originally gifted in 1888 by Senator John P. Jones and Arcadia Bandini de Stearns Baker for the care of disabled veterans, has in recent decades fallen into disrepair. Portions were leased to private entities—including a prep school and UCLA’s baseball team—while Los Angeles became home to the largest population of homeless veterans in the country.

According to the 2024 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, over 3,000 homeless veterans were living in Los Angeles—more than any other U.S. city and representing roughly 10% of the national total.

Under the order, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs must coordinate with other agencies—including the Departments of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development—to redirect certain federal funds, including those previously used for services to undocumented immigrants, toward the new center’s construction and operation.

The Order also calls for:

• Support for veterans nationwide who wish to relocate to the center for care.
• Expanded housing and treatment options for substance abuse and addiction.
• Restoration of “the warrior ethos” to help veterans regain self-sufficiency.

In addition to the center’s creation, the order mandates new accountability measures within the VA. The Secretary is instructed to enforce disciplinary actions under the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 and review controversial rehirings of employees previously dismissed for misconduct.

President Trump also ordered improvements to VA healthcare nationwide. The Department must submit plans to reduce appointment wait times by expanding office hours, adding weekend availability, and increasing telehealth options. A feasibility study for expanding the Manchester VA Medical Center in New Hampshire—currently the only state in the continental U.S. without a full-service VA hospital—is also required within 30 days.

The order emphasizes choice and efficiency in care, including potential treatment collaborations with military facilities.

“No veteran should sleep on the streets of the country they risked everything to defend,” the President wrote. “This order keeps our promise to honor them with action, not just words.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs is responsible for publishing and funding the order’s implementation as recorded in the Federal Register.

The full text of the EO is available HERE.