Executive Summary

The Borden Report 2026 examines the Borden Avenue Veterans’ Residence (BAVR) at 21-10 Borden Avenue in Long Island City, Queens. The report focuses on Borden Avenue's participation in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program, its operation by the Institute for Community Living (ICL), the contractual and oversight role of the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS), and the broader governmental system responsible for assisting Veterans experiencing homelessness.

The report is based on federal and municipal records, VA program requirements, FOIA and FOIL responses, financial information, government audits, NYPD records, published research, program materials, correspondence, public proceedings, and firsthand Veteran information.

Key Findings

GPD Program and Capacity

VA records identify 154 authorized GPD beds at Borden Avenue.
The beds reviewed for this report are identified as Service Intensive, rather than Clinical Treatment.
Reported GPD enrollment declined from:
124 Veterans — June 1, 2024
118 Veterans — July 1, 2024
107 Veterans — August 1, 2024
Enrollment was therefore 47 below authorized capacity in August 2024.
The enrollment figures do not establish the number of physical beds actually vacant or immediately available.

The report recommends review of admissions, referrals, eligibility determinations, utilization, and the relationship between authorized GPD capacity and actual enrollment.

Public Safety and Emergency Activity

NYPD FOIL records identify approximately 1,365 emergency calls associated with 21-10 Borden Avenue between August 2024 and December 2025, averaging nearly three calls per day.

The records include approximately:

705 ambulance or medical events
218 emotionally disturbed person calls
85 violent EDP references
58 assault-related calls
58 suspected overdose calls

Categories may overlap.

Approximately 60% of the emergency-call records reviewed did not contain a publicly available final disposition. The absence of a disposition in the records reviewed does not establish that no response or follow-up occurred.

Arrest Records

Separate NYPD records identify 82 arrest entries associated with Borden Avenue between September 2022 and December 2025:

13 — 2022
33 — 2023
17 — 2024
19 — 2025

Approximately 45 entries involved assault-related allegations, 28 were identified as felonies, and at least 70 appear to concern alleged conduct inside the facility.

Arrest records establish arrests and alleged offenses, not convictions.

Funding and Financial Oversight

Borden Avenue receives public support through both the VA GPD program and the City's contractual relationship with ICL. The report separately examines federal funding, Borden-specific municipal expenditures, and ICL's broader organizational finances.

The report recommends a comprehensive VA review addressing:

Federal GPD payments and reimbursements.
Authorized beds and actual enrollment.
Services supported by GPD funding.
Relevant staffing and program expenditures.
Allocation of federal and municipal funding.
Compliance with the approved GPD model.
Documentation supporting reimbursable activity.
Expenditures in relation to documented Veteran outcomes.

If that review identifies matters requiring additional investigation, referral to the VA Office of Inspector General or another appropriate federal authority is recommended.

Program Model and Veteran Services

The report examines Borden Avenue's Service Intensive GPD designation in relation to its use of a Modified Therapeutic Community (MTC) approach.

Published MTC research reviewed for the report primarily concerns populations with co-occurring mental-health and substance-use disorders. VA maintains separate GPD models for different Veteran populations and service needs.

The report recommends review of Borden Avenue's:

Admission practices.
Individual service planning.
Behavioral-health requirements and programming.
Case management.
Housing assistance.
Independent-living preparation.
Veteran participation and community integration.

The report does not attribute Borden Avenue's emergency activity to the MTC model.

Housing Outcomes

Permanent housing is a principal GPD outcome. The report recommends independent verification of:

Admissions and length of stay.
Permanent-housing exits.
HUD-VASH placements.
Transfers.
Unsuccessful or negative exits.
Other recorded destinations.

The report also discusses the September 2024 VA Office of Inspector General review that identified national weaknesses in GPD outcome-data reliability. Those national findings are not evidence that Borden Avenue submitted inaccurate outcome information.

Women and Vulnerable Veterans

The report examines whether New York City's Veteran transitional-housing system adequately serves:

Women Veterans and Veterans with families.
Veterans with disabilities or significant medical needs.
Veterans requiring behavioral-health services.
Justice-involved Veterans.
Veterans requiring additional privacy or safety protections.

The report recommends expanded access to appropriate Veteran-specific transitional housing for women Veterans and greater attention to individualized services based on documented Veteran needs.

Government Oversight

Responsibility is divided among several entities:

VA — Federal GPD administration, funding, requirements, and monitoring.
DHS — Municipal contracting and shelter oversight.
ICL — Borden Avenue operations and services.
DVS — Veteran assistance, advocacy, housing support, and interagency coordination.
Veterans Task Force and Veterans Advisory Board — Coordination and advisory functions.
NYC Council Committee on Veterans — Legislative and budgetary oversight.
VA OIG, NYC DOI, Comptroller, and other agencies — Audit and investigative responsibilities within their jurisdictions.

The report examines the available record of complaints, agency responses, oversight activity, corrective actions, and unresolved matters.

Principal Recommendations

Part 19 recommends:

Comprehensive VA review of Borden Avenue's GPD program and Service Intensive designation.
Full review of federal GPD funding and expenditures.
Investigation of recurring reported illegal activity and serious incidents.
Reconciliation of the approximately 1,365 emergency calls with available provider and government records.
Review of VA serious-incident reporting.
Independent verification of GPD enrollment and housing outcomes.
Review of DHS expenditures and ICL contractual performance.
Periodic independent and unannounced inspections.
Expanded transitional-housing access for women Veterans.
Evaluation of Borden Avenue's continued suitability for the GPD program.

Conclusion

The records reviewed document 154 authorized GPD beds, declining reported enrollment during the period examined, approximately 1,365 emergency calls, 82 arrest entries, substantial federal and municipal funding, and multiple levels of governmental oversight.