Caban Q&A: inter-agency coordination and DOHMH partnership

And to wrap this line of questioning up, and then I'll hand it over to colleagues, it just...

Barriers, right?

Obviously, it includes housing instability.

It includes affordability.

It includes the difficulty navigating.

Is there anything that you think, again, just rises to the top that really, really needs to be focused on?

And then to your point, the intersection of a lot of different issues and communities, like what...

How are you coordinating with other agencies or coordinating with housing, with benefits, with workforce, with social service agencies?

I'm going to pass this question to Nicole, but I'll elaborate on the agency component.

Since my tenure here, I've been working very closely on building bridges with various other city agencies.

I would like to emphasize that

as we do have allies, but unless you are a veteran yourself, unless you are a service member yourself, or are part of the military family per se, a military spouse, but even a Gold Star family or spouse, right?

Individuals or city agencies do need to be militarily, culturally trained or need to be provided guidance on how to best approach certain military issues.

So I have been working very diligently with city agencies on ensuring that, explain to them why veterans are important, why military families are important, Gold Star families are important.

So that's one.

The second component is like Local Law 37, when it was introduced back in 2024, it hasn't been fully implemented.

Only a few agencies have abided by that.

But the other thing, too, that's why I mentioned military.

Cultural competency is that as a city agency, we also need to do that job to reach out and to train city agencies and to guide them.

So I've

I would like to say that what went from three city agencies, we have now been in communication and in close partnership with 18 to 20.

And the goal is that on December when we report on that, you will see that huge jump.

Great.

And what does it look like specifically for DOHMH?

We have a very good relationship with DOHMH, but I'll continue.

I'll have...

Nicole, elaborate on that.

Thank you, and thank you for the question.

I think before the DOHMH piece to also just with what Commissioner mentioned in terms of our agency collaboration as well as on the nonprofit and community-based organization side, a really good case study of this is the work that we do alongside the Mayor's Office of People with Disabilities.

I think oftentimes that is a barrier to someone's accessibility to the things that are going on in the city or events or things of that nature, and we've formed a really strong partnership with the Mayor's Office of People with Disabilities as well as with the Wounded Warrior Project, specifically on our RUC,

to ensure that the route was completely accessible, to ensure that all the marketing materials was also accessible for those who have vision impairments.

So this is a great way that shows that we are bringing together all the partners, understanding that it doesn't belong to just one group.

And our collaboration with DOHMH has been very strong in terms of making sure the hubs that are in different boroughs are being utilized specifically by family members,

as well as the same thing on the front of marketing materials when they're speaking about mental health, ensuring that veterans'mental health is brought to the forefront.

Thank you.

Go ahead, Chair.

All right.