Joe Bellow questions VA funding reduction and city rejection

All right.

I apologize for not hearing my name called.

That's all right.

I appreciate it.

I appreciate the opportunity.

I'll be real quick.

There was a lot said today, and I'm still kind of processing some of the things I've heard, some of the things that were said.

So you all have my testimony.

One of the things, though, I think still goes back to what I had initially been writing about when we were talking about Borden was, you know, why did the VA reduce the funding for Borden?

And I appreciate you, Council Member, for trying to reach out to the VA and get that answer, even if we're probably not going to get it, but I appreciate that.

And then the second question, which I didn't hear quite a bit, I would have liked to have heard more.

or of was why did the city reject the reduce award without the conversation about the transgender veterans?

Because I think the problem is, is for me, it personally, I felt like we were being pitted against the LBGD community and we're the same community.

So I would have liked to have

heard something a little more about why that money wasn't taken, especially if you're looking at 231 beds and there's only 168 residents, you still had the space to do that.

So I think that was the two kind of questions.

In terms of what's happening inside of Borden, I think...

The last gentleman who spoke, I think he was very...

Transparent about what he's seeing, what he's witnessing.

I've kind of heard and seen the same thing as well.

I don't think that, again, there is a reason and rhyme to everything.

I think I know that if I was inviting you over to my house, I would be cleaning up my house prior to you coming to visit me.

So I think that some of it is common sense as well.

I just think there was too much going on in terms of whether the council members should have been able to go in unannounced, which I think they should have.

And I think that I appreciate Council Member Hudson for bringing up the law.

About what it says that they can come in.

I just think that there needs to be a better policy around that.

that and making sure that it does protect the privacy of the veterans themselves.

The other thing I guess I'll talk about has been the roof.

That has been a very big concern to me.

I mean, going back as far as 2022, Councilmember Bob Holden has been bringing that up.

And it was asked again in 2025.

And I've kind of heard the same answer now going back four years now.

So at some point, you know, the rubber meets the road.

We have to figure out, like, when is this roof going to get done?

You know, look, I recognize that the building is old.

Personally, I would like to see it demolished and then, you know, maybe rebuilt.

Maybe find somebody that would want to rebuild it.

And build it not just maybe as an SRO, but put some workforce development in it, a real kitchen, a bigger library, things like that.

So I think that's been one of the other problems for the roof that's bothered me.

I would also like for the council to obtain a timeline from DHS identifying any work.

Not just the roof, but any work within Borden that's being done, whether it's, you know, what's outstanding, what's expected to be done.

In terms of...

DVS at the...

At the Veterans Summit, I know the Commissioner talked about revamping the housing unit.

I'd like to hear more details about that, or at least have you explore more details about that and how that is going to affect not just veterans outside of Borden, but veterans within Borden as well.

I also think that we need to go back, the council needs to go back and take a look at the December 2025.

Controller's report about the housing unit.

I think that there needs to be some, just a review.

What has changed from that report?

I mean, it's almost been a year now, right?

We're in October.

So what's changed?

What's better?

It's being revamped.

So how does that make things better?

So I think those are clearly things that we can do.

Just to wrap up, because again, there was a lot to take in from this hearing, and I'm going to have to rewatch it like probably two or three times just to get all the data from it.

I support intros 1051 and reso 560.

I disagree with RESO 0634 in its current form.

That's your Veteran Organizational Awareness Week.

As you know, the Skindy Council passed a resolution a couple of years ago with Councilman Dinowitz that made November Veterans Month.

My feeling on that, Rezo, is that...

the week would get lost because it is Veterans Week.

So I would like for you to consider maybe redoing that resolution to make it either the week prior or the week after.

I think you might have a better...

Better peace with that, especially since, you know, what do we do to promote VSO week, right?

So that's it.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Bellow.