"They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for
one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting
in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason."
--Ernest Hemingway (attributed)

Mayor Bloomberg And Veterans Affairs Secretary Nicholson Announce
Historic Agreement to End Homelessness For City Veterans

City Will Offer 100 Veterans Permanent Housing in 100 Days

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Secretary Jim Nicholson, and Homeless Services (DHS) Commissioner
Robert V. Hess today announced an historic agreement between the City
of New York and the VA to help end veteran homelessness in the City.
Under the agreement, the City will place 100 veterans into permanent
housing in 100 days. Veterans Affairs and the City will also convene a
Task Force that will report back in 100 days with a strategic plan to
end veteran homelessness in New York City. The Task Force, whose
inaugural meeting was held following the announcement, will develop
long-term plans for new joint VA-New York City street outreach teams,
a new joint VA-New York City homeless intake center, and additional
health care, mental health treatment and substance abuse treatment for
eligible veterans. The announcement was made at the Borden Avenue
Veterans Residence in Queens, the first veterans-only shelter
established in the United States.

"No veteran should be sleeping on the streets or in shelters in New
York City," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Our City and our country owe a debt
of gratitude to our veterans, and those who have had the misfortune to
become homeless deserve our help to get back on their feet. I hope our
new partnership with Veterans Affairs will become a national model."

"This agreement represents another positive step forward in our fight
to eradicate the scourge of veteran homelessness from our streets,"
said Secretary Nicholson. "Our veterans have served us all by taking
the oath to preserve liberty and protect our way of life, and we must
and will continue to work together to repay our grateful nation's debt
to these valiant defenders. I appreciate Mayor Bloomberg's leadership
in combating veteran homelessness, and we at VA look forward to
working with the City of New York on this initiative and others that
serve America's veterans."

"No one who has served and fought for our country should have to live
on the streets," said Commissioner Hess. "With the VA's help and
support along with its valuable resources, we can make sure that
doesn't happen in New York City. That's why we're making 100 permanent
housing slots immediately available for our veterans."

"Housing 100 homeless veterans in 100 days is a great step toward the
City's goal of ending veteran homelessness," said Office of Veteran
Affairs' Executive Director Clarice Joynes. "I commend Mayor
Bloomberg, Secretary Nicholson, and Commissioner Hess for their bold
commitment. We are all grateful for the sacrifices made by our
veterans in service to our City and our country, and we are committed
to assisting those who have fallen on hard times."

Over the next 100 days, DHS will move 100 veterans into permanent
housing. The City will fund the placements by reinvesting resources
currently devoted to the emergency shelter system. The veterans will
be moved to supportive housing or other options using the existing DHS
placement system. Some of the veterans will enter housing with
appropriate supportive services while others will be reunited with
family members. Veterans will be selected from within the existing
men's emergency shelter system, including residents of the Borden
Avenue Veterans Residence and the Camp LaGuardia shelter in Orange
County that is currently closing.

During the same 100 day period, a joint City-VA Task Force will
develop permanent strategies for housing the remaining homeless
veterans in New York City. The Task Force will include community
agencies and Veterans Service Organizations with expertise in serving
homeless veterans. The Task Force will develop the protocols and
standards for new joint outreach teams and the new homeless intake
center that will be for the exclusive use of veterans. The outreach
teams will, for the first time ever, include VA staff that can assist
with the issues unique to veterans. The VA has also committed to
provide additional health care, mental health treatment and substance
abuse treatment for eligible veterans in permanent and supportive
housing.

The members of the Task Force are:

Robert Hess, Commissioner, DHS
James Farsetta, Director, VISN 3
Verna Eggleston, Commissioner, HRA
Martin Horn, Commissioner, DOC
Michael Cardozo, Corporation Counsel
Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH, Commissioner, DOHMH
Anthony Crowell, Counselor to the Mayor
George Basher, Director, NYS Division of Veterans Affairs
Major John Hodgson, Secretary for Programs, Salvation Army of Greater
New York
Rosanne Haggerty, President, Common Ground
Larry Belinsky, President and CEO, HELP USA
Nan Roman, President and CEO, National Alliance to End Homelessness
Mark Johnston, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Homeless/AIDS Programs,
HUD
Ralph DeMarco, NY State Council of Veterans Organizations
Patricia Amberg-Blyskal, VA Regional Office
Pete Dougherty, VA Director of Homeless Programs
Michael Sabo, VA Medical Center Director
Ellen Nesbitt, NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
Richard Pruss, Executive Director Samaritan Village
Joseph Weisbord, Director of Homelessness Initiatives, Fannie Mae
Job Mashariki, President and CEO, Black Veterans for Social Justice
John Laguna, President and CEO, New Era Veterans Inc
Richard Motta, President and CEO, Volunteers of America
Lloyd Sederer, Executive Deputy Commissioner, DOHMH

New York City has embarked on a Five Year Plan to reduce homelessness
by two-thirds by 2009. Under Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan Uniting
for Solutions Beyond Shelter, the public, nonprofit and business
sectors have come together in a coordinated campaign to address
homelessness in New York City. Through initiatives such as community
based prevention and an increase in supportive housing, this 5-year
action plan aims to decrease the number of individuals living on city
streets and in shelters by two-thirds by 2009.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is the nation's single largest
health care provider. VA provides health care services to more than
100,000 homeless veterans each year. VA's efforts working with cities
and non-profit and faith-based service providers has led to a 20
percent reduction of homelessness among veterans across the nation in
the last five years.

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