Anne-Marie Foster testifies on Phoenix House veteran programs

Good afternoon, Chair Hudson and Chair Moreno and members of the General Welfare and Veterans Affairs Committee.

My name is Anne-Marie Foster.

I'm the President and CEO of Phoenix House of New York in Long Island, and I'm here to testify about the importance of veteran-specific programs and our collaboration with the Board and Avenue Shelter.

Phoenix House has been around since 1967.

We help New Yorkers.

We have helped thousands of New Yorkers, people who struggle with substance use, individuals who are veterans, and they alcohol abuse, and we help them lead healthy and what we call rewarding lives.

Phoenix House also runs residential programs.

specifically for veterans.

It is located outside of the city, but there are several other agencies that do the same for residential and outpatient specifically for veterans.

Right now, as been said previously, New York City is currently spending millions on services for homeless

community members, and even as more New Yorkers are sleeping on the streets than ever before, that figure includes about 625 homeless veterans.

Behavioral health challenges touch New Yorkers across every housing status, but state estimates suggest that up to 10% of residents experiencing homelessness also live with a substance use disorder and severe mental illness.

And for veterans who may also carry the effects of service-related trauma, those needs can be especially acute.

Housing is essential, but for many veterans, it is not enough on its own.

Without treatment for the conditions that often accompany or contribute to homelessness, people struggle to stabilize, keep their housing, and move forward.

Too often, the pathways between shelter, outreach,

Veteran services and behavioral health programs are fragmented.

And a veteran who is ready for care can wait too long or fall through the cracks between systems.

That is why veteran-specific care matters, and that is what we see when we work with the clients that come from Borden Avenue.

We work with ICL's team to provide residents.

at Borden with holistic programming focused on the unique needs of veterans seeking treatment.

We have a specialized team of experts and medical staff dedicated to providing trauma-focused treatment, including individual counseling, group counseling, social and recreational activities, and skill development.

These services are located at our Long Island City Outpatient Residential Program, and our experience shows that programs designed specifically for veterans work the best.

We are both able to deliver services to our veterans because of support from the state.

We are contracted through State OASIS and city investment dollars from like our opioid settlement partners and federal dollars from our SOAR grants.

And these events, investments, the city makes and board and are critical for the success of the people who reside there.

Again, we said it before, our veterans put their lives on the line to protect us.

We owe it to them to do our best to support them in their recovery and the work that is happening.

At Phoenix House and partnering with agencies like Borden can help connect our veterans to the services that they need.

So thank you for considering my testimony.