REPORT TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL

Committee on Veterans (2026)

Part 10 — Veterans Advisory Board: Representation, Oversight, and the Voice of Homeless Veterans


Key Findings

  • The New York City Veterans Advisory Board (VAB) was established to provide communication between veterans, the Mayor, City Council, Department of Veterans' Services (DVS), and the broader veteran community.
  • The VAB identifies public meetings as opportunities for veterans to raise concerns, identify service gaps, and advise city leadership on issues affecting veterans.
  • Housing is identified as a major policy area; however, the 2025 Veterans Advisory Board Annual Report did not include a dedicated section addressing homeless veterans or specific recommendations concerning New York City's only VA Grant and Per Diem (GPD) transitional housing program.
  • Concerns involving the Borden Avenue Veterans' Residence, including safety, emergency responses, vacant beds, recreational services, and program conditions, became a significant discussion topic during the April 29, 2026 Queens Veterans Advisory Board meeting.
  • The absence of veterans with direct lived experience in policy discussions limits the ability of government agencies to fully understand the barriers faced by veterans experiencing homelessness.
  • Meaningful participation, transparency, and documented follow-up are necessary components of effective oversight and accountability.


Purpose of the Veterans Advisory Board

The Veterans Advisory Board exists to ensure New York City's veteran community has a direct platform to communicate with government leadership.

According to the VAB's stated purpose, the board serves as a connection between:

  • The Mayor's Office
  • New York City Council
  • Department of Veterans' Services
  • Veteran organizations
  • Individual veterans

The Board reviews issues affecting veterans across several areas, including:

  • Benefits
  • Housing
  • Healthcare
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Culture

Among these areas, housing remains one of the most significant challenges because veterans experiencing homelessness often face multiple barriers, including PTSD, service-connected disabilities, unemployment, substance-use disorders, chronic medical conditions, and difficulty accessing benefits.


Homeless Veterans and Representation

The VA Grant and Per Diem Program was created to address veteran homelessness by providing transitional housing connected with healthcare, case management, employment assistance, recovery services, and permanent housing placement.

Because the Borden Avenue Veterans' Residence serves as New York City's only federally funded VA Grant and Per Diem transitional housing program, issues affecting the facility represent more than concerns about a single shelter. They represent citywide veteran policy issues involving:

  • Access to VA healthcare
  • Transitional housing quality
  • Public safety
  • Successful exits
  • Permanent housing outcomes
  • Veteran recovery

The 2025 Veterans Advisory Board report addressed several veteran priorities, including veteran businesses, education, civic engagement, street vendors, and legislative matters. However, the report did not provide comparable recommendations focused specifically on homeless veterans or conditions within New York City's only GPD transitional housing program.


Borden Avenue and Oversight Concerns

Concerns presented regarding Borden Avenue included:

  • Violence and resident safety
  • Police and emergency response activity
  • Drug activity
  • Vacant beds
  • Closed recreational facilities
  • Food services
  • Access to VA resources
  • Oversight and transparency

During Veterans Advisory Board discussions, former DVS Housing Director Llamar Wheeler described Borden Avenue as the "Cadillac of shelters." Veterans with direct experience at the facility questioned whether that description accurately reflected resident experiences involving safety concerns, repeated emergency responses, limited programming, and living conditions.

The disagreement demonstrates the importance of including veterans currently or formerly participating in programs when evaluating whether services are meeting their intended goals.

Contracts, budgets, and administrative reports provide one perspective. Veterans using those services provide another essential measure of program effectiveness.


Importance of Veterans With Lived Experience

Effective oversight should include veterans who have direct experience navigating:

  • Homelessness
  • VA transitional housing
  • HUD-VASH
  • Supportive housing systems
  • Disability claims
  • Healthcare access
  • Criminal justice reintegration
  • Permanent housing transitions

Veterans with lived experience understand barriers that may not appear in reports, including obtaining documents, attending appointments, accessing transportation, coordinating benefits, communicating with agencies, and transitioning from congregate housing into independent living.

Including these perspectives ensures that policies are evaluated not only by how they are designed, but by how they affect the veterans they are intended to serve.


Transparency and Follow-Up

Effective oversight requires:

  • Public reporting
  • Documented responses to concerns
  • Outcome tracking
  • Resident engagement
  • Accountability measures

When veterans identify problems involving safety, healthcare access, housing barriers, or program operations, follow-up is necessary to determine:

  • What was reviewed
  • Which agencies responded
  • What corrective actions occurred
  • Whether conditions improved

Without documented follow-up, veterans may lose confidence that participation in public processes leads to meaningful change.


Conclusion

The Veterans Advisory Board serves an important role by giving New York City's veterans access to public officials and a forum to identify challenges affecting their lives.

For homeless veterans, this role is especially important because decisions regarding transitional housing directly affect safety, healthcare, employment, recovery, and long-term housing stability.

The concerns surrounding the Borden Avenue Veterans' Residence demonstrate why veterans with lived experience must be included when evaluating programs created on their behalf.

A successful veteran policy system requires more than programs designed for veterans. It requires programs reviewed, evaluated, and improved through the direct participation of the veterans who rely on them.