NYC turns down $1.3 million for homeless shelter due to dispute over transgender veterans
New York City officials turned down a $1.3 million federal grant for a homeless veterans shelter in Queens after they said the White House would have required them to exclude transgender veterans.
The city typically gets funding for the Borden Avenue Veterans' Residence from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The city says the agency offered about one-third of what it has in past years, with the requirement to adhere to an executive order on gender ideology.
The Mamdani administration said it would require them to exclude transgender veterans from seeking shelter beds, so it refused the funding.
City officials said they will ensure there are no disruptions to services and plan to cover the costs themselves.
"Don't punish everyday New Yorkers who are also veterans because of your disagreements. Figure that out, agency to agency," said Council Member Julie Won.
A Veterans Affairs spokesperson said all grant awardees must adhere to their terms and conditions, including executive orders. As for the drop in the grant amount, the spokesperson said the department bases funding on past performance and demonstrated need. It could not justify a larger award, according to the spokesperson.
Advocates, former residents and elected officials gathered outside the shelter to voice their concerns.
"Stop arguing, stop playing blame games, stop fooling around," said Jesse Figueroa, a veterans advocate.
"This shelter is absolutely essential," said former resident Robert Poles.
Council Member Phil Wong and Won said they were turned away when they tried to tour the shelter Thursday to investigate the living conditions and ask funding questions.
"The funding will have to come from somewhere if the Fed is not funding this," Wong said. "It seems to me they're gonna have a lot of problems providing all the necessities and operating this site if the funding is not in place."
The city said council members need to schedule tours of the site in advance, and they've now scheduled them for next week.
