Victory In Sight: We Put Veterans on the Map. Now, Let’s Make it Law.
Photo by Gary Dean Clarke
For too long, the veteran community has been a ghost in our city’s public health data, with our unique struggles left uncounted and unaddressed. When Int. 0291-2026 was first drafted, it represented a necessary step toward transparency in the suicide crisis. Yet, it risked ignoring the specific toll taken on the hundreds of thousands who served our country and now call this city home. Five Borough Veterans refused to let that oversight stand. We met with the City Council, provided testimony, and made it clear that our community’s survival depends on being seen. Thanks to the work of our dedicated advocates and the offices of Council Members Farrah Louis and Linda Lee, the bill has been officially amended to include Veteran Status as a core pillar of these new mandatory annual reports.
This is the first step in a fundamental shift in how our city recognizes service and mental health. By pushing this inclusion, we have ensured that veteran deaths by suicide will be tracked annually by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), disaggregated by key demographics like age, occupation, and method. This represents the first major legislative victory for Five Borough Veterans, proving that when we organize as a unified front across all five boroughs, we can win. Instead of asking for a seat at the table, we redefined the table itself to ensure that no veteran’s story is lost to bureaucratic silence or inadequate data.
The language has been changed, the support is growing, and the bill has moved through the Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use. We are at the finish line, but the mission isn’t over until the final gavel falls. We are calling on every member, supporter, and neighbor to join us for a major press conference on the steps of City Hall to push this bill over the edge. We need a sea of veterans in their gear to show the Council that the military-connected community is unified, organized, and watching. This is our moment to turn a hard-fought amendment into a permanent law that will finally provide the data needed to save veteran lives.
There is no substitute for boots on the ground when it comes to political accountability. We need you to show up, wear your colors, and help us claim this first historic win for our organization. Please RSVP below so we can show the media and our elected officials the true scale of our movement.
This victory belongs to every veteran who has ever felt invisible in this city. Let’s go to City Hall and make it official.
In Service,
The Five Borough Veterans Team