REPORT TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL

Committee on Veterans: An Assessment of the Borden Avenue Veterans’ Residence, the VA Grant and Per Diem Transitional Program, Women Veterans, and Public Accountability (2026)


Part 1: Executive Summary


Key Findings


  • The Department of Veterans Affairs Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program is a transitional program established to assist eligible veterans experiencing homelessness by providing temporary supportive housing and the resources necessary to successfully return to independent community living.


  • The GPD Program is not simply a shelter program, a permanent housing program, or a clinical recovery program. It is a structured transition program designed to connect veterans with housing assistance, employment opportunities, financial wellness, healthcare access, earned benefits, transportation, community engagement, and independent living skills.


  • Congress intended the GPD Program to operate as a safe, stable, supportive, and drug-free transitional environment where veterans can focus on rebuilding the foundation necessary for successful reintegration into society.


  • Veterans entering GPD programs represent the full veteran community. This includes recently separated service members transitioning from military service, justice-involved veterans returning from incarceration, veterans experiencing homelessness, veterans with disabilities, women veterans, LGBTQ+ veterans, older veterans, and veterans overcoming personal barriers to stability.


  • The Borden Avenue Veterans’ Residence (BAVR) is New York City’s only federally funded VA GPD transitional program. As the City’s only program of this type, its operation determines whether eligible veterans receive the full transitional pathway envisioned by the Department of Veterans Affairs.


  • This report examines whether Borden Avenue has operated as a true VA Grant and Per Diem transitional program or whether the program has functioned primarily as a Department of Homeless Services shelter where veterans are housed while awaiting permanent placement.


  • The designation and operation of Borden Avenue under a Mental Illness Chemical Abuse (MICA) shelter model raises significant concerns regarding compatibility with the intent of the VA GPD Program. While many veterans may require access to mental health treatment or substance use support, GPD itself is not a clinical treatment program. Its primary mission is transition.


  • A MICA-based shelter environment that concentrates untreated behavioral health crises, active substance use, repeated emergency incidents, and instability may work against the Congressional intent of providing veterans with a safe, drug-free environment focused on preparation for independent living.


  • Veterans working toward employment, sobriety, financial stability, and permanent housing require an environment that reinforces accountability, responsibility, and progress. Exposure to ongoing instability can undermine the transition process and negatively affect veterans attempting to rebuild their lives.


  • Successful GPD outcomes cannot be measured solely by occupied beds or housing exits. A successful transition must evaluate whether veterans leave with the skills, resources, income stability, healthcare connections, community relationships, and support networks necessary to remain housed.


  • Public funding for Borden Avenue has increased substantially, including resources directed toward administration, contracted security, maintenance, case management, and behavioral health services. Questions remain regarding whether funding priorities adequately support transition-focused services.


  • Veterans reported concerns regarding access to employment assistance, transportation, financial planning, VA healthcare coordination, peer support, community organizations, recreation, and independent living preparation.


  • Emergency-response records associated with Borden Avenue identified approximately 1,365 emergency calls between August 2024 and December 2025 involving medical emergencies, emotionally disturbed persons, assaults, injuries, suspected overdoses, disputes, and other safety concerns.


  • Arrest records reviewed separately identified more than 70 arrests between September 2022 and December 2025, raising questions about whether the environment consistently supports veterans attempting to stabilize and transition into independent living.


  • Approximately 60 percent of reviewed emergency-call records contained no publicly available disposition, limiting independent evaluation of outcomes, corrective action, and accountability.


  • Limited access by outside veteran organizations, community partners, advocates, and volunteers raises additional concerns regarding transparency and whether veterans are receiving the community connections necessary for successful transition.


  • Isolation from employment resources, housing support, transportation, and community engagement can negatively affect a veteran’s mental health, sobriety, self-worth, and ability to successfully transition.


  • Women veterans remain without equal access to a VA GPD transitional program in New York City. The current male-only structure at Borden Avenue excludes women veterans and veteran families from comparable veteran-specific transitional services.


  • The proposed conversion of the Bellevue Intake Facility into a comprehensive Veterans Transitional Program represents an opportunity to create a safer, inclusive program serving male veterans, women veterans, and veteran families while maintaining close access to the Manhattan Veterans Affairs Medical Center.


  • Oversight must include veterans with lived experience because those who have navigated homelessness, VA systems, transitional programs, vouchers, and reintegration understand the barriers that determine success or failure.

 


Introduction


Purpose of This Report


This report evaluates:

  • The operation of Borden Avenue Veterans’ Residence
  • Alignment with the Congressional intent of the VA GPD Program
  • The impact of operating a GPD program within a MICA shelter model
  • Department of Homeless Services oversight responsibilities
  • Institute for Community Living program operations
  • Public spending priorities
  • Emergency-response and safety concerns
  • Access to employment, housing, healthcare, transportation, and community resources
  • Women veterans’ access to transitional services
  • Veteran privacy and safety
  • Community engagement
  • Accountability by advisory boards and elected officials
  • Recommendations to strengthen veteran transition outcomes


Narrative


The Department of Veterans Affairs Grant and Per Diem Program was established because ending veteran homelessness requires more than providing a temporary place to sleep.


The purpose of GPD is transition.


Veterans entering the program should receive the structure, resources, and community connections necessary to successfully move from instability into independent living.


A veteran may enter GPD after military separation, incarceration, prolonged homelessness, financial hardship, disability, or personal crisis. The common objective remains the same: provide a temporary environment where the veteran can prepare for permanent reintegration into the community.


The foundation of this process is safety.


A veteran cannot effectively pursue employment, maintain sobriety, manage healthcare needs, repair finances, or prepare for housing while living in an environment defined by fear, instability, or exposure to ongoing substance use.

This distinction is critical when evaluating Borden Avenue.


The concern is not whether veterans with mental health conditions or substance use histories should receive support. Many veterans entering transitional programs require access to those services.


The concern is whether operating New York City’s only VA GPD program under a MICA shelter structure conflicts with the broader mission of GPD by creating an environment focused on crisis management rather than transition.

A transitional program should prepare veterans to leave homelessness.


It should not simply manage homelessness.


A successful GPD program provides:

  • VA healthcare connections
  • Benefits assistance
  • Employment support
  • Financial wellness planning
  • Transportation access
  • Housing navigation
  • Peer support
  • Community involvement
  • Independent living preparation


These services restore identity, responsibility, and confidence.


Veterans transitioning from homelessness often experience isolation and loss of purpose. Community connection is not an optional service — it is a necessary part of rebuilding independence.


The lack of equal access for women veterans further demonstrates the need to reassess New York City’s veteran transitional system. Women who served deserve the same opportunity to participate in veteran-centered programs connected to VA resources, peer support, and long-term stability.


The question presented by this report is straightforward:

  • Is New York City operating a true VA Grant and Per Diem transitional program, or has the program become a traditional shelter where veterans wait for housing?
  • The mission of GPD should remain consistent with its original purpose:
  • A veteran enters during a period of instability.
  • A veteran leaves connected, prepared, independent, and ready to succeed.