Hudson asks Kelly how he identifies veterans on street

I do have one.

Oh, do you have a question?

No, go ahead.

Oh, I have one question.

So what would you say from your experience?

You do street outreach?

Yes.

Is that correct?

Yes.

So what would you say across all populations or just specifically for veterans experiencing homelessness?

So people who use drugs, a percentage of those folks are veterans.

And we specifically started focusing on veterans as of March of this year with that new contract.

But before that, oh, sorry.

No, no.

Before that, yeah, like my entire role and responsibility was to be an enhanced harm reduction specialist.

And then, you know, it changed with the new contract and now I'm a veteran outreach specialist.

So I'm talking to the same folks.

I think working as just a harm reduction specialist and just working with like your average denizen that's in the transient population.

And all of those, like, really, really, like, formative days of work that I've experienced on the front lines there.

I will say that the biggest challenge I've seen in these last couple months, it's adjacent to the same challenges that we see in harm reduction just in general.

Linkages to services, linkages to care.

follow-ups, just surface level, being able to like come into like a new organization.

I found out what an MOU was this earlier this year.

Don't tell my boss that like it's been a lot, but it's been it's been it's been.

A good a lot, you know, because I'm helping New Yorkers.

I'm a New Yorker now.

Well, y'all say I have to be here for like seven years to actually be a New Yorker is what I've heard.

Most people say 10, but it's not.

So I got seven more.

We good.

So, you know, I appreciate your work.

I'm just trying to get a better understanding.

So do you, how do you identify clients?

So that's the beauty of outreach.

We're outside with that.

And we reach out and touch people like AT&T, like, hey, how are you today?

We have incentives, of course.

We have just conversations.

But there's a lot of ways to reach out.

But just, sorry, just to clarify, you're serving everybody.

Not only veterans, because I guess what I'm trying to get at is how do you identify whether somebody is a veteran or not if they're experiencing homelessness on the street?

I'm trying to figure out how to work that without name dropping my place of employment.

You wear like branded clothing or something?

Yes, we brand.

Was Zach giving it away?

No.

Oh, okay.

I'm sorry.

Also, you naming your place of employment I don't think is a negative.

And certainly, I mean, they can't hold that against you.

Unless you're not in sick today and you're here instead.

No, no, no, no.

So, you know, this is actually one of the first times I've ever been able to do like, okay, like this is veteran focused.

That's literally in my job description, veteran outreach specialist.

So I feel like I was supposed to be here.

I will say I probably could have.

Practice the words a little bit better.

I'm a little nervous now, but yeah, like hopefully I answered your question.

Did I?

If not, please tell me because I'm learning so much today, so much.

Yeah, and like Chair Marano said, you're doing a great job.

I'm just trying to get a better understanding as far as the work that you do and your experience.

When you're doing your outreach, how are you specifically identifying who is a veteran that's sleeping on the street?

You talk to him.

Okay, so if somebody is not a veteran...

Then they would still be able to receive harm reduction services.

So if they need like a wound care kit...

So you're talking to everybody and then you're giving particular focus to those who may be veterans.

And I'm giving referrals to everyone else.

Got it.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Terrific job.

Thank you.

Then let's go to Mr.

Gibson.