Over 100 people filled Joyce Kilmer Park on Sept. 30 for a rally and resource fair to end veteran poverty, hosted by Bronx State Assembly Member Landon Dais as part of an ongoing campaign to spotlight the unique struggles faced by veterans in New York City.
Local organizations, city agencies, and small businesses offered resources, connections, and services to Bronx veterans and their families, but Dais and other advocates at the rally emphasized that all tiers of government— from Washington to City Hall— aren’t doing enough to support veterans.
“ I’m fighting for all veterans because I see them, I hear them, and I fight for them,” Dais said. “I was dismayed that none of the mayoral candidates would talk about veterans. So, I’m trying to make this an issue in this mayoral campaign so that people will focus on these veterans to make sure that they’re taken care of.”
Dais clarified that mayoral candidates had spoken in generalizations about veterans and acknowledged that campaigns to lower the cost of living for all New Yorkers would also benefit veterans. But he told the Bronx Times that the city needed to be doing more.
Kevin Meggett, founder of the advocacy organization Veterans Action Now, told the Bronx Times that service members and their families in the Bronx are especially vulnerable after Congress and the Trump Administration passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which made sweeping cuts to federal programs like Medicaid and SNAP.
Megget, who served as a third-class petty officer in the U.S. Navy in the Gulf War, said that it is a misconception to think that every veteran who serves qualifies for benefits.
“ Not all veterans are entitled to VA [benefits],” Megget said. “It doesn’t make them any less of a veteran. So they have to rely on things like SNAP and Medicaid. He’s [Trump] cutting it to the bone. So it becomes very harmful to that veteran and their families.”
While elected officials and advocates called for systemic change, the event also provided immediate, tangible assistance to veterans in attendance.
Veterans at the rally browsed the tables of organizations and businesses offering support and services. The Office of Military and Veterans’ Services from Fordham University encouraged visitors to take advantage of funding for college through the military.
The Bronx-based university was ranked the number one college for veterans in New York state by the Military Times in 2024 and participates in the Yellow Ribbon program, which covers 100% of tuition and fees for eligible veterans, their spouses, and dependents.
Matt Butler, Executive Director of the Office of Military and Veterans’ Services, told the Bronx Times that Fordham focuses on the health and wellness of its service member students as much as it does on academics.
“We’re here to ease the transition from military service back to civilian life and then into careers,” Butler said.
Tiffany Cawthon recently retired after 21 years in the Navy as a Petty Officer First Class. Since retiring from the military, Cawthon told the Bronx Times that reentry into civilian life had been “pretty rough,” especially when it came to housing. But she remained optimistic and determined, saying that she had met with elected officials at the rally who told her they could help with housing.
After retiring, Cawthon enrolled in Fordham as a pre-law major. She said the experience had been overwhelmingly positive.
“ They actually stand by your side,” Cawthon said. “They stand by you, make sure that you get all the help that you need in assistance with applying for the school, and they still have your back while you’re in school.”
Other local organizations also offered assistance for local vets.
Montefiore Medical Center handed out flyers for its “HERO-Dads” program, which aims to help empower struggling fathers with resources, including counseling, career development, and parent coaching.
Con Edison offered information on lower-cost programs for qualifying households, and local businesses advertised job openings.
The rally offered Bronx vets and their families resources to address immediate financial stressors, but advocates like Meggett and officials like Dais say that permanent solutions need to come from higher up.
As federal funding for programs like SNAP and Medicaid continues to shrink, service providers say they’re working to fill the gaps—but warn that city and state support alone is not enough. With the mayoral race underway, organizers hope the conversation will shift to include more concrete proposals for veterans, particularly in underserved communities like the Bronx.
