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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jane DaCosta, Executive Director and Founder of Metropolitan Equestrian
1:09:31
·
3 min
Jane DaCosta, a 100% disabled veteran and founder of Metropolitan Equestrian, shared her experiences and critiques of veteran services in NYC. She emphasized the need for better outreach methods and highlighted the lack of progress in veteran services over the past 22 years.
- DaCosta stressed the importance of human connection in reaching out to veterans, criticizing the reliance on surveys, phone calls, and websites.
- She argued that the DVS's grade of C was for "showing up" and called for more effective community engagement.
- DaCosta shared how her organization successfully partnered with the state to provide equestrian sports programs for veterans and their families, suggesting this as a model for better veteran outreach and support.
Jane DaCosta
1:09:31
Good afternoon.
1:09:32
My name is Jane DeCosta.
1:09:34
I'm the executive director and founder of Metropolitan Equestrian.
1:09:37
We are a nationwide organization.
1:09:39
I'm Brooklyn born and raised.
1:09:40
I'm a % disabled vet, and I was discharged twenty two years ago and seven months ago.
1:09:46
And why that timeline is important is because twenty two years ago, nine months ago, I was the youngest city council appointee for the mayor's office of Veterans Affairs.
1:09:55
Twenty two years later, nine months later, we're having the same conversation.
1:10:01
And I'm saying this because back then there was less resources, less staffing, less budget.
1:10:12
But the mayor's office of Veterans Affairs, that's what's called the time, MOVA, under my candy, found me when I was in the military.
1:10:19
They actually came to our ship.
1:10:21
And he said, I'll see you when you come out.
1:10:22
And I came out and he says, I got this idea.
1:10:25
That's how I became the youngest city council appointee, which is all well and good.
1:10:29
That human connection is how we reach out to our veterans.
1:10:32
Not a survey, not a phone call, not a days base, not anything of that nature, and it takes some relevance.
1:10:38
And yes, I was 23 at the time, now I'm you could do
Joann Ariola
1:10:43
the math.
Jane DaCosta
1:10:45
But here I am twenty two years later, two nine months later, and I'm still hearing the same conversation.
1:10:53
And I only stepped off the board because I moved out of New York City and moved to Long Island, so that was one of those fine lines.
1:11:00
The reason why I'm having this conversation with you, and I know we're pressed for time, is back then there wasn't a grading system.
1:11:05
Today there's a grade.
1:11:06
You get a grade c for showing up.
1:11:08
Believe in me, I have over a hundred kids in our organization and they get a c for showing up.
1:11:13
I'm not going to say that this is all the blame of the current commissioner, but this is something that we keep repeating.
1:11:19
The speech is all the same.
1:11:21
Figures don't lie, but liars figure.
1:11:24
And the reason why I'm having this conversation for you is because we have to be better reaching out, and it's not putting out a survey, maybe it's going out to the communities, but I'm gonna tell you how the state answered that question.
1:11:36
So as an executive director of this nonprofit, I asked the state to come and help me fund to have veterans active duty in Gold Star and their immediate family members to be a part of equestrian sports.
1:11:47
Of which, by the way, I did try to contact many city councils and no one responded.
1:11:53
And I will tell you, I do have a lobbyist firm.
1:11:55
That was the only reason why I know about today is because I have a lobbyist firm that comes to our organization.
1:12:00
And the state was able to answer that because they gave us funding to be able to service veterans' goals, so our immediate family members.
1:12:07
These immediate family members tell us what's going on with the veterans, and that's how we were able to connect them to federal programs and other nonprofits like veteran advocacy projects and many other ones.
1:12:17
So I can't speak to how the city can do their funding.
1:12:21
That's way above my pay grade.
1:12:23
But I will tell you, as someone who's a % disabled vet, someone who has taken care who has taken care of our own veterans, someone who has been a city council appointee, someone who has award from Senator Marty Golden as a very, very distinguished veteran who has serviced many veterans in New York City and Long Island, and someone who has taken advantage of health benefits and VA home loans and everything else, and had got the education and have zero student loan debt because I'm a veteran.
1:12:51
We have to do better, and it doesn't it's not a survey, and it's not a website.
1:12:57
You gotta get some relevance.
1:12:58
And the service members that are coming out there are younger than me.
1:13:03
So maybe we need to do what Mike Handy wanted to do, may God rest his soul, and put younger veterans out there to be the change we wish to see in the world.
1:13:10
Thank you.