Mayor’s Office Demands NDAs Before Lawmakers Can Visit Veterans Shelter at Center of Funding Dispute Over Transgender Housing

A scheduled visit by city Council members to a shelter for homeless veterans is tentative after Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration tried to compel lawmakers to sign nondisclosure agreements before they conduct an oversight tour of the facility Wednesday, council members told The New York Sun on Tuesday.The Borden Avenue Veterans Residence, at Queens, drew scrutiny from lawmakers after the city turned down a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that previously funded 154 beds at the 243-bed shelter. The Trump administration was offering $1.3 million for the current fiscal year, CBS News reported, about a third of what the facility previously received. Accepting the largesse would have required the shelter to exclude transgender veterans from seeking shelter in VA-funded beds, according to the city. Employees at the shelter attempted to block Councilmembers Julie Won and Phil Wong when they visited last week, saying they needed to schedule a visit ahead of time. The pair eventually pushed their way in, finding insalubrious conditions, including leaks dripping into tarps and buckets and a non-functioning kitchen, according to Mr. Wong’s office.On Monday, Veterans Committee chair Councilmember Frank Morano announced a second visit to the Borden Avenue residence, organized through the city’s Department of Veterans Services, scheduled for October 7. That appointment is now on the calendar but up in the air.“It’s bad enough that the City tried to prevent a duly elected Council Member from carrying out our Charter-mandated oversight and investigation. It’s bad enough that they think a scheduled dog-and-pony show tour is an acceptable substitute,” Mr. Wong said in a statement to the Sun. “Now we’re being told that even to see the dog-and-pony show, we have to sign a nondisclosure agreement so we can’t talk about what we see. I’m outraged.” “At this point, the only conclusion I can draw is that the City is trying to cover up its failures at this shelter while veterans continue to suffer,” Mr. Wong continued.New York City Department of Social Services spokeswoman Neha Sharma confirmed that the lawmakers were scheduled for an official tour on Wednesday. The city’s policy governing access to shelters, including the NDA requirement, has been consistent from one administration to the next, she said in a statement.The city’s policy is aimed at protecting shelter residents’ privacy, Ms. Sharma said, with a view to preventing anyone”s unhoused status becoming public without their express permission.For his part, Mr. Morano told the Sun that attorneys had advised against signing an NDA and he had “no intention” of doing so.“We have legitimate oversight responsibilities, particularly at a facility that is receiving taxpayer dollars and caring for homeless veterans,” he said in a statement. “Government oversight shouldn’t come with a gag order.”Mr. Morano said he was “hopeful” that the city’s Department of Social Services would back down and let the lawmakers “focus on what actually matters: the conditions at Borden Avenue and the veterans who live there.” Representatives for the mayor’s office and the Department of Veterans’ Services did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.Editor’s Note: After this story was published Tuesday, Mr. Morano agreed to sign the document requested by the city, telling The New York Sun that counsel advised him that it would not prevent him from speaking out about conditions in the shelter.

Mayor’s Office Demands NDAs Before Lawmakers Can Visit Veterans Shelter at Center of Funding Dispute Over Transgender Housing

Mayor’s Office Demands NDAs Before Lawmakers Can Visit Veterans Shelter at Center of Funding Dispute Over Transgender Housing

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