PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Mount Lacey, Veteran
1:56:31
·
3 min
Mount Lacey, a veteran, provides critical testimony about his recent negative experiences with the Department of Veterans Services (DVS) and calls for accountability rather than increased resources. He describes a frustrating situation involving a potential shelter transfer and lack of proper advocacy from DVS staff.
- Lacey alleges that DVS staff member Lamar Wheeler ignored his request for advocacy based on DHS policy and procedure, leading to a crisis situation.
- He claims he was wrongfully trespassed from 1 Center Street without proper documentation, affecting his access to various city services.
- Lacey calls for third-party oversight and accountability for DVS, expressing skepticism about the department's effectiveness.
Mount Lacey
1:56:31
I'm speaking from my personal experience over the last couple weeks and since the last time I testified before you guys.
1:56:40
I wanna say that is the majority of what DVS is promising.
1:56:45
It's false hope.
1:56:47
They don't need more resources or accessibility what they need is accountability.
1:56:54
And I'll describe the situation to you that I went through it with Lamar Wheeler, and I'm trying to we're trying to put a unneeded transfer just to transfer me again back to Borden Avenue on hold because, like you said, a disrupts in life disrupts everything in your life.
1:57:18
I wanted to build a case for him to advocate came from me based on DHS policy and procedure.
1:57:26
He refused to do that.
1:57:28
He wanted to create a advocacy based off imaginary future plan of treatment with the VA that this nonprofit may or may not accept instead of policy and procedure based on evidence.
1:57:48
Then after 8 hours of working on that with the staff there that day, Lamar completely ignored that.
1:57:57
My wish is to go off policy and procedure and something solid.
1:58:03
The disappointment and the stress of realizing that I'm either going back to a more dangerous shelter that I had already been transferred from within one day and have to do that all over again to move to move to move.
1:58:23
Led me to being in crisis, and I I called EMT and and and checked myself into inpatient from DVS.
1:58:33
Now the result of that was Lamar trusspassing me from Swan Center Street, himself without anything in writing on a verbal command to dot d a c a whatever the police there are in that building, They have a picture now of me on their on their security thing.
1:58:56
They still have nothing in writing.
1:58:58
Commissioner Hendon doesn't even know about this.
1:59:02
And I have a text message from the workers that I worked with that clearly state that I was absolutely no threat whatsoever.
1:59:10
So now it not only is DBS keeping me from their services, they're keeping me from the services from the entire New York City government of that building.
1:59:20
So if you guys wanna know where to put your money, hire a third party and get to accountability because I don't know what it is you guys actually do or DVS does besides sit around and talk.
1:59:36
And I wanna see something, and I would like a commitment from you, Mister Holden, that my problem, my issue getting back to board in a congressionally approved program that's public law, that you will that you will walk with me step by step by step by step by step my
Robert F. Holden
1:59:51
promise, ma'am.
