PHOTO: Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito (r.) and Councilman Eric Ulrich (c.), seen here in January on a tour of the Borden Avenue Veterans Residence, hailed the allocation of nearly $940,000 in the FY 2016 budget for the Veterans Services Initiative.
Elected officials joined service members and veteran advocates last week at Project Renewal’s culinary training facility on the Lower East Side to hail funding allocated in the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget for the Veterans Services Initiative—a program set to address the needs of the city’s veterans, including homeless prevention, job placement and transition services, legal services, mental health services, and community development.
The initiative will provide $940,000 to various community organizations that are equipped to tackle the issues facing the more than 225,000 veterans who hang their hats in the five boroughs.
“The City Council is leading the way in supporting our veterans,” said Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), chairman of the Committee on Veterans. “The funding we have allocated for legal services, comprehensive mental health and job training and placement is only a small token of appreciation for those who have sacrificed so much on our behalf. I want to thank the Speaker and all my colleagues for making veterans and their families a priority in this year’s budget.”
In addition to this Veterans Services Initiative, the administration agreed to the council’s recommendation to allocate additional resources to the Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs by providing Veterans Service Officers that will serve all five boroughs. The administration has also committed to provide additional staff at the Department of Homeless Services dedicated to serving indigent veterans, according to Ulrich’s office.
In a survey of recent veterans, nearly 70 percent cited finding employment as their biggest challenge; statewide, approximately 23,000 veterans are currently unemployed, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In 2013, the Food Bank of NYC reported that 70,000 veterans in New York City—nearly 30 percent of the total veteran population—relied on soup kitchens and food pantries to avoid going hungry.
DHS reports just fewer than 1,000 homeless veterans in the city. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 45 percent of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness, and approximately half have substance abuse problems.
“Far too many veterans struggle to rebuild their lives after bravely serving our country,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “New York City has a duty and an obligation to support our veterans in their time of need. The Veterans Services Initiative will connect these courageous men and women to jobs, legal assistance, counseling and housing opportunities so that veterans can navigate these challenges and transition successfully back to civilian life. Every day, New York City thanks the veterans who put their lives on the line for our country and our freedom.”
By Michael V. Cusenza michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
