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Veterans and advocates urge larger DVS budget and tougher oversight of shelters at council hearing
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Summary
Veterans groups at the City Council hearing called for substantial increases in DVS funding, more claims staff and stronger oversight of shelter placements; advocates accused DHS-run placements of retraumatizing veterans and asked the council to demand better data and accountability.
A steady stream of veterans, veterans-service organizations and advocates urged the City Council’s Veterans Committee on Tuesday to increase funding for the Department of Veterans Services and to strengthen oversight of how veterans are housed and served across the city.
Ryan Graham, representing the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the New York City Veterans Advisory Board, told the committee the agency is “severely underfunded” and recommended raising DVS funding to between $15 million and $20 million to expand housing and transition services.
“We have enough funding to send troops to the battlefield, but yet we always just don't seem to have enough money once they come home,” Graham said, urging investment in housing specialists and transition supports.
Advocates also flagged gaps in claims processing and transparency. Coco Culhane of the Veteran Advocacy Project urged more resources for DVS’s claims team, saying local laws and previous council directives have not always been followed up with adequate reporting.
Joe Bello of New York Metro Vets pointed to a controller’s audit and missing legally required reports, arguing the city must align funding with measurable outcomes and tighten oversight of initiative spending.
Timothy Pena of the Veterans Justice Project delivered the sharpest criticism of shelter placements. He said veterans placed in some Department of Homeless Services (DHS) facilities — naming Borden Avenue — are placed in environments that retraumatize clients, hinder access to veteran-specific pathways and result in poor outcomes. He urged the council to reexamine DHS contracts and consider alternative nonprofit operators for veteran transitional care.
“We're talking about veterans placed in secluded, violent shelters ... Veterans are isolated, exposed to unsafe conditions, and denied access to veteran-specific services,” Pena told the committee, asking for immediate investigation and contract oversight.
MJHS, SAGE and the Intrepid Museum told the committee they provide important veteran-focused services — from hospice care to cultural access and LGBTQ+ elder services — and requested targeted initiative funding to sustain and expand programs.
Committee members acknowledged the concerns and asked DVS to provide clearer outcomes data and to work with the council on monitoring contracts and post-allocation funding. The hearing closed with requests for written testimony and additional documents; no formal council action was taken during the session.
