Long Island City

New York City's Department of Homeless Services has withdrawn from the VA's Grant and Per Diem program, which has funded transitional housing for more than 200 veterans at the Borden Avenue Veterans Residence in Long Island City for nearly two decades. The withdrawal took effect Oct. 1, at the start of a new federal fiscal year and grant cycle, creating uncertainty over continued federal support for the shelter.

The city and the VA offer conflicting accounts of what happened. DHS says the VA offered only about 30% of its previous funding and attached conditions tied to Trump administration executive orders that it claims would have required discriminating against transgender veterans. The VA disputes that characterization as false, saying it could not justify a larger award after evaluating the facility, which has faced longstanding complaints over overcrowding, violence and mismanagement, some now part of a federal lawsuit against the city and its nonprofit operator. DHS says services remain uninterrupted under the city's right-to-shelter mandate, but how lost transitional funding and support services will be replaced remains unresolved.