To support the City’s Veteran community, we must understand their needs.
Veterans have been a part of the rich tapestry of life in New York City since the Revolutionary War era, roughly 250 years ago. Most New York City Veterans toiled quietly in the background to create a better life for their families in the city that they called home. Or, as Walt Whitman wrote, they endeavored to “contribute a verse” while they were alive.
Each of these Veterans was a vital link in a chain that built the vibrant, diverse city that we know of today. As each successive generation passed the baton of progress onward, the following generations learned from those who came before them.
Today, the NYC Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) carries on the work that began long ago of improving the lives of those who selflessly served our nation. We also face new challenges, such as the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting public health and economic aftermath.
To successfully tackle these pressing issues, we must first understand the needs of the 210,000 Veterans who live in the five boroughs and how we can best assist them. That is why I am excited to announce the launch of the first-ever citywide survey of our Veteran population. Once we have more robust insights into those whom we serve and their loved ones — both their vulnerabilities and strengths — we can then chart a better path toward success.
To successfully tackle these pressing issues, we must first understand the needs of the 210,000 Veterans who live in the five boroughs and how we can best assist them.
The new survey will delve into numerous areas including, but not limited to benefits, education, wellness, housing, and employment. Survey answers will cumulatively produce a detailed portrait of the Veteran community and provide a crucial understanding of its needs. Local Veterans, Active Duty Service Members, Reservists, National Guardsmen, Veteran family members, and military caregivers are invited to complete the survey by visiting nyc.gov/vetsurvey. All responses will be anonymous.
At DVS, our mission is to connect, mobilize, and empower New York City Veterans in order to foster purpose-driven lives. We do that by helping Veterans of all backgrounds in ways that not only protect, but amplify our community’s past, present, and future. The work that we perform complements that of our partners in the City’s larger Veteran ecosystem, which consists of stakeholders in fields ranging from academia to finance, government, industry, entrepreneurship, and the nonprofit space.
All of us (in our own ways) are working to foster purpose-driven lives. Whether we realize it, our efforts impact us collectively, much like the labor of those who have come before us. The work that we do uplifts the entire Veteran populace — which is beautiful and diverse by way of age, gender, religion, ethnicity, and other identities.
We ask you to join us by completing the 2021 NYC Veteran and Military Community Survey. After taking it, we urge you to share it with others and recommend that they fill it out themselves.
Given the importance of this survey, we encourage you to think of this as co-creating the future of the New York City Veteran experience and building a more dynamic, opportunity-laden Veteran landscape for those who live here.
All of this begins with you completing — and inspiring others to complete — the 2021 NYC Veteran and Military Community Survey!
-DVS Commissioner James Hendon
James Hendon is the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services and a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Reserve.
