NPR

Fewer Homeless Veterans On LA's Streets

The city's most recent homeless count showed that the veteran homeless population had declined 18 percent. But some advocates caution that veteran homelessness is an ever-changing dynamic.
Jesse Henderson (left), an Army veteran, walks Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles looking for homeless veterans. His job is to try and connect them with support resources, including transitional housing, offered by the nonprofit U.S.Vets.

The lack of affordable housing is at the forefront of the homeless crisis in Los Angeles County. But the city's annual point-in-time homeless count, released on June 1, showed that the veteran homeless population had declined 18 percent.

On this particular morning, Jesse Henderson is canvasing Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. He's quick to point out this is not the stretch of the boulevard popular with tourists. Far from it. There's a certain vigilance and purpose in his stride. Understandable when you learn that the 39-year-old Army veteran did two tours in

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