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Lacking cohesive support system, vets fall through cracks; city steps up efforts

By: Samantha Marshall
Published: January 28, 2007 - 6:59 am

When he left the military in August 2005, John DeVito was hoping for a better life. It hasn't turned out that way.

The former Army tank driver, who saw six months of combat in Iraq as a member of the invading forces, was injured at a roadside check outside Baghdad. The barrel-chested 23-year-old now needs a cane to get around. He can't find a job and believes that his disability, combined with his limited work experience, has hurt his prospects.

Mr. DeVito is getting by on about $450 a month in military disability payments and staying with his mother on Staten Island while he studies computer science.

"To go back to living under Mommy's roof is never a great feeling after being independent," says Mr. DeVito, who last year was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder last year by a doctor with the Department of Veterans Affairs. "A lot of stuff gets compounded - past events from combat and my current standing - and I go through these bouts of depression."

His story is the story of thousands of New Yorkers who are struggling to re-enter civilian life after serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Many of them suffer from social, medical or psychological problems caused by the stresses of battle. Left untreated, such trauma symptoms - which studies indicate affect about one in five veterans - usually worsen over time.

Coming home

The vets stumble through a confusing tangle of government and nonprofit agencies offering help. It's an inadequate system that can't even muster an official, up-to-date count of how many vets are at risk.

As of the end of 2005, at least 6,000 people in the New York area had been discharged from tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. That was the last time the Department of Defense released such data. Experts estimate the current figure to be about 8,000. President George W. Bush's recent decision to deploy 21,000 additional soldiers to Iraq stands to increase the population of vulnerable returnees.

"There's a real need out there, and it must be addressed," says Robert Greene, combat veteran coordinator for New York Harbor Health Care System, a VA hospital that has registered 3,685 veterans seeking services since October 1, 2004.

An initial Crain's investigation 18 months ago found early signs of a troubled homecoming for the city's veterans (August 30, 2005, Page 1). At the time, advocates estimated that perhaps as many as 100 men and women who had fought in Iraq or Afghanistan were homeless. Today, according to the people who treat and counsel veterans, the number of homeless vets in the city probably exceeds 100 and is climbing.

New York officials have recently stepped up their outreach. Last month, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced initiative "Project Welcome Home" to find housing for 100 veterans of any war within 100 days. He launched a joint task force of the city, the VA and nonprofits and charged it with finding ways to help those who served. After being lobbied by advocates, the mayor also successfully championed the cause of two VA hospitals that Washington was threatening to close.

Meanwhile, some City Council members are floating a proposal to budget $5 million to create a one-stop referral center in each borough. The centers would address a major problem: The network of agencies serving returning vets is decentralized and disorganized. A spokesman for the mayor says that Mr. Bloomberg hasn't ruled out supporting the proposal, which will be one of many options considered.

Robert Hess, commissioner of New York's Department of Homeless Services, says, "We want to try to craft a different system that identifies veterans' needs earlier to prevent them from ever ending up on the streets."

The efforts are coming not a moment too soon. Though the VA is the principal agency for discharged servicemen and women, not all are eligible for help. In addition, budget cuts have hit the agency hard.

Though the figures are rough, some advocates estimate that at least 3,000 more New York vets will need help with housing, mental health issues and job counseling over the next two years. They will turn increasingly to city agencies ill-equipped to handle the influx: The Mayor's Office of Veterans' Affairs has a budget of $180,000 and a staff of three. Veterans say they end up dialing 311 to find out where they can get help, usually without success.

"If I got out of the military right at this moment, I would have no idea where to go for veteran services in the city," says Joseph Bello, a veterans advocate.

Facing foreclosure

One female army veteran who asked not to be named says that since leaving active duty a year ago, she has made dozens of calls for assistance with job placement and legal issues. She now faces foreclosure on her late parents' home in Queens.

City and federal agencies don't have a handle on how many are in the greatest need. The city puts the overall number of homeless vets in the five boroughs at about 700, though there's no consensus even among departments. The figure probably understates the problem.

"The truth is, nobody knows with certainty" how many Iraq and Afghanistan vets are included in that tally, Mr. Hess says. "I'm sure there are a few, and I'm sure there will be more over time, tragically."

ASSISTANCE FOR VETS

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE

New York Harbor Health Care System (212) 951-3295

READJUSTMENT COUNSELING

Bronx Vet Center (718) 367-3500

Brooklyn Vet Center (718) 624-2765

Harlem Vet Center (212) 426-2200

Manhattan Vet Center (212) 620-3306

Queens Vet Center (718) 296-2871

Staten Island Vet Center (718) 816-4499

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Workplace questions (866) 4USA-DOL

NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS COUNSELING

National Veterans Foundation Hotline (888) 777-4443

GENERAL SUPPORT

Veterans of Foreign Wars (212) 807-3164

Black Veterans for Social Justice (718) 852-6004

Citizen Soldier (212) 679-2250

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (212) 982-9699

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYMetroVets/

HOUSING

New Era Veterans (718) 904-7036

Salvation Army Borden Avenue
Residence (718) 784-5690

Comments? SMarshall@crain.com

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