Twenty Years of Warnings: Federal Lawsuit Renews Questions About Safety at Borden Avenue

Timothy Pena • June 17, 2026

*"Disclaimer: Some content in this article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.

More Than 1,300 over 16 Months in Emergency Calls Highlight Longstanding Concerns at New York City's Only Veterans Affairs Transitional Housing Program

NEW YORK -- For nearly twenty years, veterans and community leaders have raised concerns about conditions at the Borden Avenue Veterans Residence in Long Island City. Today, those concerns are at the center of a federal lawsuit alleging that veterans participating in the Department of Veterans Affairs Grant and Per Diem (GPD) program have been exposed to unsafe conditions that undermine the program's mission.¹


Recent analysis of NYPD records associated with 21-10 Borden Avenue identified approximately 1,365 calls for police and emergency medical services between August 2024 and December 2025.² The incidents included assaults, emotionally disturbed persons, violent EDP calls, suspected overdoses, injuries, harassment, disputes, and hundreds of serious ambulance responses.


While emergencies are expected in any congregate setting, critics argue that the sheer number and nature of these calls raise questions about whether New York City's only federally funded transitional housing program provides the safe and stable environment envisioned by the VA.³


The allegations in Pena v. City of New York et al. claim that veterans suffering from PTSD and other disabilities have been placed into an environment where violence, behavioral crises, and open drug use have become normalized.¹


These concerns are not new.


In 2008, shortly after the Institute for Community Living assumed operation of the facility under contract with the Department of Homeless Services, the Queens Chronicle reported allegations of mismanagement, diminished community oversight, and longstanding drug activity at the residence. Community Board 2 representative Marvin Jeffcoat called for the suspension of ICL's contract, while residents described feeling unsafe inside the shelter. One veteran reportedly chose to sleep in a friend's car outside rather than return to the facility.⁴


Nearly two decades later, many of the same complaints persist.


Veterans have repeatedly brought concerns regarding safety, violence, and accountability before the New York City Council Committee on Veterans. Calls for audits, reforms, and greater representation for homeless veterans have been raised numerous times. Advocates contend that these issues have consistently been dismissed despite years of testimony.


That criticism intensified following the release of the New York City Veterans Advisory Board's 2025 Annual Report. The report highlights recommendations concerning disability claims, education, employment, treatment courts, and veteran-owned businesses.⁵ Yet a review of the report reveals that the term "homeless veterans" does not appear once in the sixteen-page document.⁶


For many advocates, that omission reflects a broader failure to address the needs of some of the city's most vulnerable veterans.


The issue before the federal court is not whether emergencies happen. Rather, it is whether nearly twenty years of complaints, testimony, and now more than 1,300 emergency calls represent isolated incidents—or evidence of longstanding systemic problems.


For veterans who have already endured combat, trauma, and homelessness, transitional housing should be a place of recovery and hope.


Nearly twenty years after the first public warnings were sounded, many are asking whether that promise has ever truly been fulfilled.

Sources

  1. Pena v. City of New York, et al., No. 26-CV-0176 (S.D.N.Y.).
  2. NYPD 911 records associated with 21-10 Borden Avenue, Long Island City, New York, August 2024–December 2025.
  3. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Grant and Per Diem Program.
  4. Paul Leonard, "Problems Persist at Veteran Shelter," Queens Chronicle, September 11, 2008.
  5. New York City Veterans Advisory Board, 2025 Annual Report: New York City Veterans' Achievements and Policy Recommendations.
  6. Review of pages 7-16 of the Veterans Advisory Board 2025 Annual Report reveals no mention of "homeless veterans."



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Timothy Pena is a service-connected disabled Navy veteran for PTSD and has written about his experiences with mental health, homelessness, and the judicial system. Pena initially visited NYC to collaborate on a documentary for veteran suicide but decided to stay after realizing he would rather be homeless in NYC than dead in Phoenix. He has been writing stories and blogs about his journey from “homeless to homeness” in the NYC Dept of Homeless Services system and possible corruption within DHS, Institute for Community Living, and Veterans Affairs Grant & Per Diem Transitional Program.