We recently connected with Juliet Lemar and have shared our conversation below.

Juliet, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

In April 2020, a few blocks away from my apartment, I noticed a row of tents forming along the sidewalk outside the gate to the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs campus. This wasn’t a typical homeless encampment; it consisted of one row of 54 matching tents, each tent proudly displaying an American flag, and inside each tent was a Veteran.

As a local journalist, I decided to investigate. At the beginning of 2020, I was one of the first reporters on the scene of what is now infamously known as “Veterans Row”; an encampment formed by 54 homeless and disabled Veterans awaiting services and housing on the West Los Angeles VA campus.

Over the next two years, I visited the encampment weekly and listened to Veteran’s stories. I learned about their struggles, strengths, and hopes. And also how our government failed to protect them after they sacrificed so much to protect us.

The West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Campus is one of the largest in the country, spanning 388 acres (for reference, Disneyland is only 100 acres). In 1887, the land was deeded to the Veterans of America as a home for troops to receive medical care, housing, and other services. During the Korean War, the VA campus housed 5,000 Veterans.
In the 1970s and 80s, the West LA VA began to deny housing to veterans in favor of leasing parts of the property to large commercial entities for profit. The leases stated that any land leased on VA property must “principally benefit Veterans and their families’ but mostly that was not the case. By 2011, a group of unhoused Veterans successfully sued the VA for favoring commercial land leases over providing housing for homeless Veterans. The judge ruled that any leases on VA Land that failed to ‘primarily benefit Veterans’ were illegal and ordered the VA to provide 1,200 units of housing for disabled and unhoused Veterans by 2015. Despite this ruling, illegal land leases still exist on the property and housing is 7 years behind schedule while unhoused Veterans live and die on the sidewalk.

Between 2020 and 2021 two Veterans were murdered on ‘Veterans Row’ while awaiting housing and services.

In 2023, the VA is once again being sued for its failure to uphold its promise to create 1,200 units of housing and for the continued illegal land leases on campus with companies such as UCLA and Brentwood School.

The VA has made some progress, with 233 units of housing opening this year out of the 1,200 units promised by 2015.

I’ve covered this story for three years and won a Golden Mic Award for Best Digital News Reporting. But my greatest accomplishment of all was having been of service to our Veterans.

Through sharing their stories; we informed the public, held government officials accountable, and after three years the 54 Veterans who lived on ‘Veterans Row’ are off the street and in transitional or permanent housing.

But there is still work to be done. Los Angeles has over 4,000 unhoused Veterans, more than any other city in America, according to a 2022 federal report. It’s time to get our men and women of service off the streets.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m an award-winning multimedia journalist and producer with over 7 years of experience covering everything from puppies to murder in Los Angeles.

Most of my work has focused on local accountability journalism such as; Homelessness, Veterans issues, disability, local government, and environmental issues. I also have extensive experience covering live events, human interest stories, and lifestyle content such as L.A. Fashion Week, food & drink culture, and real estate.

Recently, I won a Golden Mic award from RTNA for my digital reporting on the infamous West L.A Veterans homeless encampment known as ‘Veterans Row’.

As a former National champion gymnast and NCAA Div 1 competitor, I bring passion, drive, and commitment to everything I do.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Support local journalism! Local journalism gives a voice to the community and can help facilitate change and inform those impacted by our city’s most pressing issues.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Helping create positive change in my community. I strongly believe you can change what you touch. When things feel overwhelming, start with something you can do yourself. Start in your own neighborhood or city, be the change you wish to see, and listen to what your community needs most.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vimeo.com/julietlemartv
• Instagram: @juliet.lemar
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julietlemar/

Image Credits
Sheldon Botler