Report: Fewer homeless veterans on Long Island, statewide
Johnny Bradley, 61, a formerly homeless Marine Corps veteran, works as a street outreach worker for the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless in Amityville. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
The number of homeless military veterans across Long Island and statewide has plunged since 2010, thanks to increased federal funding and initiatives, according to a new report from New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
Across the state, the number of veterans without a home dropped 83% between 2010 and 2022, going from 5,857 to 990, according to DiNapoli's report issued this week, titled "Economic Policy Insights: Reductions in Homelessness Among New York's Veterans."
Those reductions were largely the result of progress addressing the issue in New York City, the report said, noting it had the state's largest number of veterans among its residents at 144,558, followed by Suffolk County at 56,257, citing the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates from 2017-2021. Nassau County had 38,039 veterans, according to the estimates.
"New York has led the nation in reducing the number of homeless veterans between 2010 and 2022 — largely driven by success in New York City," the report said. "Robust federal funding has supported programs to achieve the reductions, and the approach taken by New York City can serve as a model for other areas in the state."
Between 2011 and last year, the number of homeless veterans in New York City fell from 4,677 to 482, according to the state report.
Federal funding for programs addressing homelessness among veterans went from $376 million in 2009 to $2.8 billion by 2022.
Long Island has also seen a big drop in homeless veterans, said Mike Giuffrida, associate director of the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless. Currently, he said there were "86 veterans housed in [Veteran Administration] shelter or transitional housing programs that include intensive case management, and they all have access to permanent housing resources that can meet individual needs, including short-term rental assistance programs, vouchers and long-term housing programs with ongoing case management.”
In addition, Giuffrida said, "There are 14 other veterans that are in non-VA or veteran-specific shelters, all of which have been outreached and been immediately connected to permanent housing resources" for a total of 100 veterans who are homeless on Long Island. "That is the full [veteran] homeless population that we can confirm." He added that overall, the agency counted 3,536 homeless people on the Island during its January census.
A decade ago, Giuffrida said homeless veterans on Long Island numbered 700 at any given time. Since the initiative focusing on reducing homelessness among veterans, he said: "We effectively ended veteran homelessness in our community in 2016. It doesn’t mean there are none, but we have resources. If veterans did enter homelessness, we could immediately connect them to housing to resolve their homelessness."
Johnny Bradley, 61, a street outreach worker for the coalition, said he fell on hard times in 2013, was evicted from his apartment and was homeless for a few months. The former real estate broker and Marine Corps veteran said he was connected with United Veterans Beacon House shelter. They connected him with permanent housing in a veterans complex in Amityville operated by Concern for Independent Living.
"When I got evicted, thank God there were programs around to help veterans," Bradley said. "I was able to go to the Beacon House veterans homeless shelter. They were able to help me navigate to my current situation."
Giuffrida said the federal funding available for veterans is needed for other homeless populations, particularly families with children. "However, those resources are severely underfunded in order to meet the ongoing needs of people experiencing homelessness who are not veterans."
