The Department of Veteran Affairs plans to renovate a building at its West Los Angeles campus that will house homeless veterans, with completion scheduled for 2012, according to a statement from U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein's office.

The housing structure, dubbed Building 209, is one of three buildings dedicated to house homeless veterans. About $20 million in federal funding has been dedicated to 209, according to Feinstein.

About 6,540 veterans sleep on the streets of Los Angeles County every night, according to the statement. Homelessness is particularly problematic in the West L.A. neighborhood of Sawtelle near the V.A.'s vast campus.

“Once restored, Building 209 will provide critical housing, medical care, mental health treatment and special-needs services to chronically homeless veterans in Los Angeles,” the statement reads.

A builder will be selected in September 2011 followed by construction estimated to take 14 months, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.

“Every effort is being made to accelerate this as much as possible at the highest level,” Ralph Tillman of the V.A.'s West L.A. Healthcare Center told the paper.

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