REPORT TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL

Committee on Veterans (2026)

Part 9: Transparency, Accountability, and Program Oversight


Key Findings

  • Borden Avenue Veterans' Residence is New York City's only federally funded VA Grant and Per Diem (GPD) transitional housing program.
  • The program receives substantial taxpayer funding and is operated by the Institute for Community Living (ICL), a nonprofit organization reporting approximately $214 million in annual revenue.
  • Public records identify approximately 1,365 emergency calls between August 2024 and December 2025.
  • Approximately 60% of emergency-call records reviewed contained no publicly available disposition, leaving roughly 819 incidents without a clearly identified outcome.
  • Public arrest records identified more than 70 arrests over a three-year period from September 2022 through December 2025.
  • The VA Office of Inspector General has emphasized that reliable data and accurate reporting are essential to measure whether GPD programs successfully transition veterans into permanent housing.

 

Transparency in a Federally Funded Transitional Program

The Department of Veterans Affairs Grant and Per Diem Program was established to provide homeless veterans with a structured pathway from homelessness into permanent housing. Unlike traditional shelters, GPD programs are designed around measurable outcomes, including successful housing placement, improved stability, healthcare coordination, employment readiness, and preventing veterans from returning to homelessness.

Because Borden Avenue represents New York City's only federally funded GPD transitional housing program, transparency and accountability are critical. The facility's performance impacts veterans, taxpayers, emergency responders, healthcare providers, and the surrounding community.

Oversight requires evaluating not only whether services exist, but whether those services achieve the intended purpose of preparing veterans for independent living.

 

Emergency Response and Missing Outcomes

Emergency-response records reviewed for this report identified approximately 1,365 calls associated with Borden Avenue over sixteen months. These responses included ambulance calls, emotionally disturbed person (EDP) incidents, violent EDP events, assaults, suspected overdoses, injuries, disputes, harassment complaints, and other public safety emergencies.

One of the most significant findings was that approximately 60% of publicly available emergency-call records contained no recorded disposition. This represents roughly 819 incidents where the available records do not identify whether the response resulted in:

  • Arrest
  • Hospital transport
  • Psychiatric evaluation
  • Criminal investigation
  • Referral to another agency
  • No further action

Complete outcome information is essential for determining whether emergency interventions are effective and whether recurring safety issues are being properly addressed.

The lack of disposition information is particularly concerning given the population served at Borden Avenue, which includes veterans transitioning from homelessness, incarceration, and behavioral health treatment. Some residents are under supervision through probation or parole, making accurate documentation of serious incidents essential for accountability and public safety.

 

Measuring Successful Outcomes

The VA Office of Inspector General's 2024 report, "Additional Controls Are Needed to Improve the Reliability of Grant and Per Diem Program Data," highlighted the importance of accurate reporting within the national GPD program.

The VA OIG reported that the GPD Program operated with more than $275 million in funding and served nearly 24,000 veterans in FY2022. The review found that reliable exit information is necessary to evaluate whether providers are successfully helping veterans obtain and maintain permanent housing.

This concern applies directly to evaluating Borden Avenue outcomes. The report identifies Borden Avenue's reported approximately 60% successful exit rate, compared with other GPD programs such as Phoenix's MANA House, which reported successful exits approaching 90%.

Additionally, approximately 20% of Borden Avenue residents reportedly leave without clearly documented successful outcomes, raising concerns that veterans may cycle back into homelessness, emergency shelters, hospitals, or correctional systems.

 

Program Oversight and Public Accountability

The VA GPD model emphasizes transitional services, including:

  • Employment preparation
  • VA healthcare connection
  • Transportation assistance
  • Independent living skills
  • Community integration
  • Permanent housing support

Concerns identified throughout this report include limited transportation to VA appointments, limited access to VA resources, concerns regarding nutritional quality, and insufficient preparation before placement into permanent housing.

When veterans are moved into housing without adequate preparation, the financial impact extends beyond the individual veteran. Recidivism increases costs through renewed shelter use, emergency medical responses, behavioral health intervention, and criminal justice involvement.

Given the substantial public investment, repeated emergency responses, and impact on municipal resources, continued oversight is necessary to ensure that Borden Avenue fulfills the original purpose of the Grant and Per Diem Program.

The measure of success should not simply be occupancy or funding levels, but whether veterans leave the program with the stability, resources, healthcare connections, and support necessary to remain permanently housed.