. >> reporter: pecka marine veteran, also worries that putting so much focus on permanent supportive housing provided with almost no preconditions, an approach known s;housing first, leaves many vets out, cluding those who may simply need some help getting back on their feet. >> i think the trap that people get into is that they hear about something like housing first and say, "that's the answer." they focus on that as the one answer. and it's a very complex problem. all veterans are different. they all have different needs. we've discovered that here. >> reporter: there's also concern that the focus on homeless vets will come at the expense of the broader problem. in fact, overall homelessness in l.a. is up 12% since 2013 according to data released last month. and despite the attention and massive effort, the city of l.a. even saw a small increase in homeless vets. los angeles hhad a reputation for having a very large homeless population. for decades. this is nothing new. so, it seems-- i gue i'm being a skeptic here, that you're going to be able to get to functional zero by the end