Derek Coy testifies on veteran homelessness and suicide prevention

Good afternoon, Chair Hudson, Chair Murano, and members of the committee.

My name is Derek Coy.

I'm a senior program officer at the New York Health Foundation.

I'm also a former sergeant at the United States Marine Corps and veteran of the Iraq War.

It's been unfortunate to hear about the funding loss and issues and shelter conditions for veterans in New York City that are experiencing homelessness.

But it is encouraging to see so many folks on the council and government, the nonprofit sector, and various advocates coming together to address these concerns because it is clearly needed.

After declining nearly 90% between 2011 and 2022 and reaching historically low numbers, veteran homelessness in New York City is rising again.

As recently as 2024, the numbers had surged nearly 30%, threatening more than a decade of progress and underscoring the need for renewed investment.

But like most issues veterans face, homelessness is not the sole concern.

Veterans in New York City already face rates of suicide approximately 45% higher than our civilian counterparts, but we know these rates aren't evenly dispersed throughout the community.

A recent study from VA and Yale researchers offers one of the most comprehensive examinations to date of the link between cumulative social disadvantage and suicide risk among U.S.

Veterans.

And the patterns were alarming.

Veterans in the top 5% of social disadvantage were more than 20 times as likely to report suicidal thoughts or behaviors than those experiencing the least hardship.

The associations were even stronger among veterans with a history of mental health conditions.

VA's most recent national report on veteran suicide.

It underscores this as well, pointing out that the suicide rate for those with either a diagnosis of homelessness or who have received homeless program services in 2024 was 72 per 100,000,

meaning the suicide rate among veterans experiencing homelessness was 118% higher than among those with housing.

Furthermore, patterns of veteran homelessness also differ by gender.

Women are the fastest growing demographic in the veteran community, and at the same time, documented cases of homelessness were greater for female veterans who died by suicide compared to male veterans.

These findings reinforce the importance of addressing the social and economic drivers of veteran suicide, and we strongly recommend that efforts to address veteran homelessness also prioritize suicide prevention.

Through expanding and embedding suicide prevention across mental health and social service programs, ensuring all unhoused veterans are screened for suicide risk and referred to appropriate services,

exploring options for expanding peer mentorship for mental health, and improving data collection to identify veterans at greater risk.

That last point I'd like to harp on because when we're talking about veteran homelessness, the way we define veteran is how we count them.

And according to VA, depending on the character of your discharge, if you were kicked out because of your gender, identity, sexual orientation, or systemic racism, you might not be counted as a veteran.

And again, when we look at suicide rates for veterans, these are those fortunate enough to have access to VA health care.

So these numbers are very likely an undercount and not looking at the severity of the situation for those most vulnerable.

We commend the committee's effort to meet the needs of veterans experiencing homelessness and share your commitment to New York City's veterans.

I hope you will look to myself and the New York Health Foundation as a partner and resource for this work, and thank you again for the opportunity to testify this afternoon.

Thank you, Mr.

Coy.