He Served. New York Walked Past Him.

We helped canvass the homeless population last night. Here's what we found.

Photo by Faheem Jackson

Last night, Five Borough Veterans hit the streets of Manhattan for NYC HOPE 2026, the city’s annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate. For two to three hours, we covered the Central Park South corridor: sidewalks, a subway station, and the pockets in between. One sector. One of the wealthiest stretches of real estate on earth.

We found one veteran within six city blocks.

The Man Six Blocks From the Plaza

A Navy veteran. Older gentleman. Sitting there while the city moved around him like he was furniture. He told us people didn’t look at him. They didn’t look away either, they just didn’t see him at all. Eyes forward, AirPods in, somewhere to be.

When we stopped and talked to him, when we told him we were veterans too, that we were out here specifically looking for people like him, he didn’t ask for anything. He just appreciated being recognized.

We offered him transportation to a housing shelter. He declined. So we gave him food, toiletries, and directions to the NYC Department of Veterans Services office in case he changed his mind. We made sure he knew the door was open.

That was enough for him. Someone finally looked him in the eye.

A City That Doesn’t Measure What It Can’t See

Here’s something that should bother you: there is no official metric for veteran homelessness in New York City’s HOPE count.

The city deploys thousands of volunteers every year to count unsheltered New Yorkers. It’s an important effort, but veterans aren’t tracked as a distinct population. They get folded into the general count, or missed entirely, because the volunteers who find them often have no way to identify them and no specific reason to ask.

We provided that last night. Five Borough Veterans went out with one purpose: to find fellow veterans, count them, and connect them to resources. The city wasn’t doing it, so we did.

We also weren’t alone. Yesenia Mata, the newly appointed Commissioner of the NYC Department of Veterans Services, joined us on the ground with her staff. That matters. A city commissioner showing up in person, not sending a representative, not issuing a statement, but actually walking those blocks with us, signals that this mission has real institutional support behind it. We’re grateful for her presence and encouraged by what it represents for veterans across all five boroughs.

Some of the Five Borough Veterans team with NYC DVS Commissioner Yesenia Mata and her staff before heading out — March 10, 2026

Central Park South. Think About That.

Within eyeshot of the Plaza Hotel, the Ritz-Carlton, buildings where a one-bedroom goes for $10,000 a month. A veteran who served this country was sitting on the street, but people walking past him didn’t spare him a glance.

Veterans experiencing homelessness are often harder to reach than the general population. They’re more likely to isolate, more likely to distrust outreach workers they don’t know, but they will speak to us. The shared bond of service opens a door that a city ID can’t.

We’re Not Done. But We Want to Hear From You First.

One sector, a few hours, and one veteran the system wasn’t counting. The night is over, but we know we’re not done.

Before we make any plans, we want to hear from you. How often should Five Borough Veterans run patrols like this? What would it take for you to show up? What does this community actually have the capacity to do? Those answers should come from you, not from us deciding on your behalf.

If you’re a veteran, a supporter, or someone who just read this and is ready to mobilize, take three minutes and fill out the survey below. It will directly shape what this becomes.

If you know someone who serves or has served, send this to them.

The city counts its unhoused population once a year. Whether our veterans get counted in that, really counted, seen for who they are, depends on us.

He served. The least we can do is look him in the eye.

We want to hear from you.

We’re building the next phase of this mission around your input, how often we run patrols, what nights work, and what you can realistically bring to it.

It takes less than 3 minutes.

In Service,

The Five Borough Veterans Team