Veterans suit

The settlement announced by the VA involves a 2011 lawsuit that accused the agency of misusing its West L.A. campus by leasing out swaths of land while veterans slept in the streets. Above, a homeless person’s blanket and bags of clothing lie in the courtyard of a vacant building on the campus.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

One of many empty rooms inside a vacant building on the VA’s West Los Angeles campus. Under the settlement announced Wednesday, the agency will appoint by October a national homelessness expert to develop a master plan for how best to use the 387-acre property.  (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Air Force veteran Norma Stone, 79, poses a question to Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert A. McDonald after he announced the legal settlement aimed at ending veterans homelessness in L.A. County.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

A master plan called for in the settlement could include renovating existing VA buildings and constructing new facilities for transitional housing and permanent housing with drug treatment, mental health counseling and other supportive services. Above, some of the existing buildings.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The VA campus is the largest undeveloped property on the Westside. Its rolling greens were deeded to the government in 1888 as a home for disabled soldiers. Above, leaves cover a stairwell that leads to a vacant building on the campus.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Over the years, the VA leased out portions of its West L.A. campus for wine-tasting, benefits and other events, including parking for a professional golf tournament. Above is the vacant Building 156.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who has promised to house every homeless veteran in the city by the end of the year, hailed the VA settlement as a step forward. Above, graffiti on a window of a vacant building on the VA’s West Los Angeles campus.   (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)