DVS strives to connect with New York City Veterans regardless of discharge
status and branch of service in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Reserves
and National Guard. DVS serves as a critical hub for Veteransâ advancement by
informing the Cityâs Veteran community of resources that exist, serving as a bridge
to those resources when needed and occupying roles that the local government
can uniquely fill when gaps in Veteransâ services appear in the private, notfor-profit, federal and state realms. DVS recognizes and honors Veterans of all
protected classes in the City of New York, as the diversity of our City informs
and reflects the diversity of our Veteran community. Further, the Department
serves family members, caregivers and survivors, recognizing their essential role
in Veteran health and well-being.
OUR SERVICES AND GOALS
SERVICE 1 Provide supportive services to Veterans and their families.
Goal 1a Mitigate and prevent homelessness for Veterans.
SERVICE 2 Assist Veterans and their families with accessing eligible
resources.
Goal 2a Ensure Veterans have information about and are connected with
appropriate resources.
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HOW WE PERFORMED IN FISCAL 2020
SERVICE 1 Provide supportive services to Veterans and their families.
Goal 1a Mitigate and prevent homelessness for Veterans.
During Fiscal 2020, DVS secured housing for 184 homeless Veterans through the Veteran Peer Coordinator (VPC) program,
a peer-to-peer service model focused on helping homeless Veterans navigate the challenging process of finding housing
in New York City. The number of Veterans housed grew 16 percent compared to Fiscal 2019; this increase is attributed to
the Housing and Support Services team on-boarding an additional Veteran Peer Coordinator. Additionally, the first quarter
of Fiscal 2020 brought the opening of Surf Vets, a mixed-use development on Coney Island with 82 apartments reserved
for Veterans.
Starting on March 16, 2020, the agencyâincluding the VPC teamâshifted to remote operations due to the COVID-19
pandemic. Despite working remotely, VPCs continued to engage Veterans, community partners and other agencies to work
towards combating Veteran homelessness via alternate means to limit close, in-person interactions. Housing viewings were
replaced by videos of available units and management companies opted to interview Veteran applicants over the phone or
video conference. The VPC team navigated these new processes alongside the Veterans to ensure that services continued.
On top of their continued contact with Veterans currently experiencing homelessness, during the first two weeks of the
pandemic, VPCs called all Veterans who were previously housed by the program to complete wellness checks and provide
vital resources during uncertain times.
DVS provided aftercare and prevention services to 455 Veterans in Fiscal 2020, an increase of four percent from the
previous Fiscal Year. This growth can be attributed to an increase in referrals from the Mission: VetCheck initiative and
Constituent Services unit, and an increase in requests for services. In particular, there was an increase in landlord mediation
engagements as a result of the financial strain caused by the pandemic.
During the final months of Fiscal 2020, the Aftercare and Eviction Prevention unit implemented a new six month Housing
Check procedure to increase engagement and connect Veterans and their families to housing support services, social
services and other support needed to maintain stable housing during their transition from homelessness to residence.
Performance Indicators
Actual Target Trend
FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
Desired
Direction
« homeless Veterans and their families who received housing
through DVS Veteran Peer Coordinator program NA NA 169 158 184 * * NA *
« Veterans and their families receiving homelessness prevention
assistance from DVS NA NA 466 438 455 * * NA *
« Critical Indicator âNAâ Not Available ñĂČ Directional Target * None
SERVICE 2 Assist Veterans and their families with accessing eligible resources.
Goal 2a Ensure Veterans have information about and are connected with appropriate resources.
Fiscal 2020 presented unique challenges for the City as New Yorkers dealt with the unprecedented impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic. Starting on March 16, 2020, all agency services shifted to remote operations to ensure continuity of care and
community safety. The pandemic eliminated all in-person events from March through July 2020, contributing to a decline
of 45 percent in the number of Veterans and their families engaged by DVS.
To compensate for the elimination of in-person events, DVS quickly launched several initiatives to engage Veterans digitally
and over the phone. In mid-April, DVS launched Mission: VetCheck, a citywide outreach partnership with ThriveNYC, that
engaged over 2,870 Veterans and Veteran households through supportive phone calls to provide information about vital
public services, free meals, COVID-19 test site locations and mental health resources. Prior to the onset of the pandemic,
the Engagement and Community Services (ECS) team was reorganized into demographic portfolios to improve connectivity
with our community. Portfolios were organized into the following categories to provide more targeted and individualized
services: women Veterans, working professionals and jobseekers, LGBTQ+, caregivers and seniors, Veteran business
owners and student Veterans. This reorganization proved fruitful and timely. It provided the team with a clear engagement
framework when the COVID-19 crisis eventually reached its peak in New York City.
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANSâ SERVICES | Page 251
DVS also ramped up its digital outreach by increasing the frequency of the DVS newsletter to a weekly cadence, equipping
the community with access to timely, vital resources and information during this critical period. The ECS team assisted 270
Veterans and their families who faced food insecurity, processing a total of 408 direct food requests through the GetFood
NYC program, each captured in the assistance metrics below. The team also responded to 360 service requests that
emerged from the Mission: VetCheck outreach initiative. These instances of direct assistance are also captured below. From
April 13 to May 7, the DVS Outreach and Constituent Services teams successfully connected Veteran homeless shelters,
supportive housing residences, Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) and VSO-run food pantries with 5,123 pantry boxes
of food. As of July 1, DVS has distributed 3,584 meal packages donated by HelloFresh. DVS also played a critical role in
distributing almost 25,700 reusable face masks to all New York City based U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals
and Vet Centers, Veteran nursing homes, homeless shelters and supportive housing residences and VSOs. Though the
figures from these two specific efforts are not counted in the itemized individual assistance indicator below, this effort
illustrates how DVS creatively worked across sectors to form partnerships that connected Veterans with essential resources
in the midst of extraordinary circumstances.
Performance Indicators
Actual Target Trend
FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
Desired
Direction
Veterans and their families engaged by DVS NA NA 12,099 12,896 7,084 * * NA *
« Veterans and their families given assistance to access resources NA NA 3,230 3,087 2,715 * * NA *
« Critical Indicator âNAâ Not Available ñĂČ Directional Target * None
AGENCY RESOURCES
Resource Indicators ActualÂč PlanÂČ
FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5yr Trend
Expenditures ($000,000)Âł NA $2.5 $3.6 $4.1 $5.9 $6.1 $6.5 NA
Personnel NA 32 35 38 41 49 44 NA
Overtime paid ($000) NA $11 $23 $29 $30 $30 $0 NA
ÂčActual financial amounts for the current fiscal year are not yet final. Final fiscal year actuals, from the Comptrollerâs Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, will be reported
in the next PMMR. Refer to the âIndicator Definitionsâ at nyc.gov/mmr for details. ÂČAuthorized Budget Level ÂłExpenditures include all funds âNAâ - Not Available * None
SPENDING AND BUDGET INFORMATION
Where possible, the relationship between an agencyâs goals and its expenditures and planned resources, by budgetary unit
of appropriation (UA), is shown in the âApplicable MMR Goalsâ column. Each relationship is not necessarily exhaustive or
exclusive. Any one goal may be connected to multiple UAs, and any UA may be connected to multiple goals.
Unit of Appropriation
Expenditures
FY19Âč
($000,000)
Modified Budget
FY20ÂČ
($000,000) Applicable MMR GoalsÂł
001 - Personal Services $3.5 $4.1 All
002 - Other Than Personal Services $0.7 $1.8 All
Agency Total $4.1 $5.9
ÂčComprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2019. Includes all funds. ÂČCity of New York Adopted Budget for Fiscal 2020, as of June
Includes all funds. ÂłRefer to agency goals listed at front of chapter. âNAâ Not Available *None
Page 252 | MAYORâS MANAGEMENT REPORT
NOTEWORTHY CHANGES, ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS !
âą During the first four months of Fiscal 2020, Loree Sutton, MD. Brigadier General (ret.) was DVS Commissioner; James
Hendon was appointed Commissioner of DVS as of November 1, 2019.