Hudson calls for systemic fixes and dignity for veterans
Hudson says ICL will testify later, hopes grandstanding members stay, acknowledges disappointing conditions, says the system does not work for the most vulnerable, and commits to continued oversight.
Secondly, and I know that members from ICL who runs the shelter will testify later on, and I hope that everyone who is here
to grandstand will stay for all of those testimonies and then ask some more pointed questions.
You know, it's my understanding that there is a service or an opportunity for people to use the kitchen and that the program specifically has a lot of requirements that not every resident is willing to participate in.
And so I look forward to hearing some of the nuances of this.
And this is not to say that there aren't disappointing.
Circumstances at the shelter.
It's also not to say that we shouldn't be treating our veterans with far more dignity and respect.
I saw a gentleman last night who had a carton of juice that my three-year-old should be drinking, not a grown man.
And so these are systemic issues that I know, Commissioner Dalton, you are invested in addressing.
And I know the folks who are running not just this shelter, but every shelter across the city are also invested in addressing.
We have a system that doesn't work for the most vulnerable people who rely on it the most.
And those are the things that I hope to be able to get to the center of, not just at this hearing, but at every other hearing that I will be chairing
as chair of the General Welfare Committee with oversight over the Department of Social Services, including the Department of Homeless Services.
So much of our system does not work for those who need it.
But I just wanted to make sure that on the record, I had an opportunity to clarify some of the points because it is disappointing.
when folks use opportunities like this to leverage really vulnerable people and vulnerable moments and really hard work that people do every single day to make light of
the realities that are happening.
And also, when so much of it is happening from a federal government that some of the people support and then want to complain about the city government not doing what is actually the job of the federal government.
So I just wanted to state that for the record.
Thank you.