Senator Brooks & Dwyer Veterans Project Hold Press Conference

Albany, NY- Senator John E. Brooks, Chairman of the NYS Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs and Assembly Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Didi Barrett hosted a press conference earlier today to highlight the work of the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project and call to secure previous funding in the FY 2022-2023 NYS budget, as well as increase funding for expansion into new counties. Currently operational in 26 counties, the Dwyer Project provides peer-to-peer counseling and other services for veterans intended to ease the transition from military to civilian life. The program offers a valuable peer support network to a population plagued by high suicide rates and mental health issues caused by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

The Dwyer Project was first established in 2012 in honor of PFC Joseph P. Dwyer, a local Suffolk County veteran who, upon returning home from service in Iraq as a US Army Medic and struggling with PTSD, tragically passed away. The Dwyer Project’s mission is to assist veterans, service members, and their families to achieve and sustain personal health, wellness, and purpose in their post-service lives through the support of trained veteran peers.

“The Dwyer Project, in its mission to reduce veterans suicide rates and improve the quality of life for returned servicemembers, has proven to be incredibly successful,” said Senator Brooks. “This program represents New York giving back what is owed to those who risked their lives in service to us and came home with the physical and mental scars of those struggles. It is imperative that we not only provide funding to support the existing 26 county-run programs, but also provide the funding to expand the Dwyer Project to any additional counties that are in a position to implement the program.”

In addition to its core purpose of providing peer-to-peer mental health counseling for those suffering with PTSD and/or TBI, the Dwyer Project also works to combat joblessness, homelessness, and poverty for New York veterans. Its services are provided to all veterans free of charge and regardless of discharge status.

"Today, we came together representing 25 New York State Counties,” said Gavin Walters, Program Director of Vet2Vet of Ulster County. “There was bipartisan support across the aisle, so today's representation demonstrated to our NY State military community that they are not alone and they will always have support no matter where they go in NY."

The suicide rate for veterans has been at a crisis level for years nationwide. In the state of New York, it is nearly double that of the general population. The press conference today featured testimony from a number of veterans who spoke about the impact of the Dwyer Project’s peer-to-peer counseling on their readjustment to civilian life and positive mental health.

Senator Daphne Jordan said, “The Joseph P. Dwyer Peer to Peer Veterans Counseling Program is a vital, life-saving initiative that successfully connects our military heroes with crucial peer support. I have advocated for this proven program since my first day in the State Senate because it makes such a positive difference in improving the lives of our veterans. I’m proud to be part of this bipartisan effort to strengthen, expand, and raise public awareness of the Dwyer Program, and I thank Chairman Brooks for his continued leadership on this issue.”

Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “The Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran Peer Support Program is a shining model of support that guides veterans through one of the most formative moments of their post-service lives — reintegration back into civilian life. It’s a privilege to be part of the bipartisan coalition fighting to ensure that every county across New York State can implement its own Dwyer Program so that our service members have local connections to the peer-to-peer services that we know save lives and that they deserve upon their return home. I’m also incredibly proud that, should we succeed, the Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration, an organization based in Ulster County, will lead as the primary coordinator of Dwyer programs across every corner of the state. We will never be able to repay our veterans for their service, but through the Dwyer Program, we can strengthen the paradigm of support available to them in their communities and work to eliminate the stigma of mental health care at large. I’m proud to support the statewide expansion of the Vet2Vet program.”