Q&A
Council Member Marmorato inquires about VAB borough representation and veteran outreach strategies
0:57:36
ยท
3 min
Council Member Kristy Marmorato initiates a discussion about the Veterans Advisory Board (VAB) representation from each borough and seeks advice on improving outreach for veteran services in her district. Commissioner James Hendon and other staff members provide information on VAB composition and outline plans for enhancing veteran outreach through data sharing and targeted communication.
- DVS plans to provide council members with disaggregated veteran data for their districts by April, including contact information for an estimated 140,000-200,000 veterans.
- The importance of data sharing agreements between government agencies is emphasized as a key legislative priority for improving veteran outreach and engagement.
- Challenges in veteran outreach are discussed, including the need for better marketing budgets and the difficulty of identifying veterans who may not self-report.
Kristy Marmorato
0:57:36
Thank you, chair.
0:57:37
So I just wanted to know, excuse me.
0:57:41
How many, for your VAV, how many, individuals are from each borough?
0:57:46
Do you have, like, an idea or account if everybody is represented?
Vickie Paladino
0:57:49
We can
James Hendon
0:57:49
get it from the it's in the VAB report as far as saying which borough has which person.
0:57:53
Every borough is represented.
Robert Holden
0:57:54
Okay.
James Hendon
0:57:54
But I can get that.
0:57:55
It's in the report.
0:57:56
So that's why I don't have it on the right
Mercedes Elias
0:57:57
side of the arrow.
Kristy Marmorato
0:57:58
Okay.
0:57:58
I'd like I'm interested to see, you know, where the numbers are coming from.
James Hendon
0:58:02
Mhmm.
Kristy Marmorato
0:58:03
And so we we do have the veterans
James Hendon
0:58:07
Jay was gonna look it up.
0:58:08
Why we don't he'll look it up.
0:58:09
He'll just go to NYC.
0:58:10
Okay.
0:58:10
Yeah.
0:58:10
Yeah.
0:58:11
So okay.
0:58:11
We're getting it.
0:58:11
It's right.
0:58:12
It's on the yeah.
0:58:13
So we
Jason Loughran
0:58:13
can tell you everything.
0:58:14
Thanks, Ash.
0:58:16
So, in total Yeah.
0:58:18
Yeah.
0:58:18
You know what I mean?
0:58:20
That's right.
James Hendon
0:58:20
Yeah.
0:58:21
Yeah.
Jason Loughran
0:58:21
Yep.
0:58:21
Sorry.
0:58:22
Sorry.
James Hendon
0:58:22
Yep.
0:58:22
Keep going.
0:58:23
Sorry.
0:58:23
Yeah.
Robert Holden
0:58:23
You he's
James Hendon
0:58:24
he'll look that up if you like.
0:58:25
Yeah.
0:58:25
He'll look that up.
0:58:26
I'll
Kristy Marmorato
0:58:27
so we do host, the veterans agency at my office.
0:58:32
Mhmm.
0:58:32
We don't have a good turnout.
0:58:34
How do we get people to like, how do you suggest for me as a councilwoman, when we do have these services come to the office, how do you suggest that we get the outreach?
0:58:43
Because I don't wanna waste your your time and resources.
0:58:47
I mean, it's great if it only if if we do outreach to one person that does come in to at least get get some kind of help.
0:58:54
But, like, how do you suggest that we advertise for this or, like, connect with my community?
James Hendon
0:59:02
There's all the traditional advertising.
0:59:03
This is the things that your comms team already knows.
0:59:04
For us, what we're looking to do is by April, no later than April, have divided up our veteran content info so that every council member has that information.
0:59:14
So that's also tied into what's going on as far as this, the new organization that has our VetConnect contract.
0:59:19
It's Combined Arms.
0:59:20
And one of the other things I'll be able to do is take all of our information and disaggregate it so we will just say, here are all the veterans in your district so it can help you be able to better touch that group, those folks.
0:59:30
Right now, we have at least 400 a 140,000, sorry, veteran's contact info.
0:59:34
And, you know, that doesn't include data from the state, from state agreements that we recently signed.
0:59:38
And so I'm hoping that when it's all said and done, we have close to 200,000 veterans info broken up into, you know, 51 different buckets as far as being able to export it and getting out.
0:59:47
Our goal is to get it to you in April, especially as you got the lead up to Fleet Week to Memorial Day.
0:59:52
So my hope is that you've at least got a pool to say, okay.
0:59:55
I know who now I know who 90 to 95% of my veterans are out in Brock.
0:59:59
Like, when my research is
Joe Bello
1:00:00
that time.
Kristy Marmorato
1:00:00
It would be, like, email addresses and stuff like that?
James Hendon
1:00:03
It'll be email.
1:00:03
It'll be cell phone.
1:00:04
It'll be physical address.
1:00:05
It'll be we wanna we wanna get you the best info that we can get you on this, madam councilwoman.
1:00:10
So I'm hoping that can help because you already know all the other things.
1:00:14
We're talking about a group that is not identifying for.
1:00:17
And so we wanna get this information to you all sooner than later.
1:00:20
So as soon as we're able, we wanna start pushing it out so that that can help amplify your ability to do outreach.
Kristy Marmorato
1:00:25
Well, thank you.
Jason Loughran
1:00:25
And on that note, you know, you guys have heard us.
1:00:28
One of our top legislative, priorities at every local at every level is data sharing agreements.
1:00:34
Data sharing agreements go such a far away for us, especially with the limited budget that we may have on marketing and and outreach and things.
1:00:42
And so, you'd be surprised or not surprised at all given your experiences, sitting up there that, you know, government doesn't always share their information with one another, from the federal and state level.
1:00:54
And we've been trying to support legislation that would make that more seamless and support our agency and able to collect this information, and this idea of no wrong door approach to government.
1:01:05
So if they go into any office that, we or the State Department of Veterans Services are gonna be aware of it so that we can help our council districts and our state assembly districts and state senate districts engage with veterans and educate them about all the things that we're talking about here today.
1:01:20
So it is really important to us, when it comes to outreach and engagement, But it comes down to the data and the marketing, budget, as Vicky had pointed out.
1:01:29
Councilwoman Councilwoman.
1:01:30
Yeah.
Mercedes Elias
1:01:31
I'm good.
1:01:31
Thank you.