Boston City Councilors Ed Flynn and Lydia Edwards held a hearing last week to discuss services available for our Veterans and Military Families. Councilor Flynn, Chair of the Committee on City, Neighborhood Services, Veterans and Military Affairs, invited officials from city, state and federal agencies and other organizations to participate in the hearing. They included the City of Boston Veterans’ Services Dept., the U.S Dept. of Veterans Affairs, MassHousing, DAV Massachusetts and the VA Boston Healthcare System among them.
A Resource Fair was also held outside the hearing with tables dedicated to providing information for Veterans regarding financial assistance, access to housing, healthcare and job opportunities.
“As a retired US Navy Veteran for nearly 25 years, and now an elected official, I believe that it is imperative that government officials and interested parties continue to meet on a regular basis to ensure we are doing all we can to help those who risked making the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” said Flynn. “I’d like to thank Mayor Walsh and Commissioner Sterling of Veterans Services for their work on behalf of our Veterans and Military Families. Councilor Lydia Edwards, the daughter of a servicewoman, also deserves great credit as well for her advocacy on behalf of the Veterans community.”
Councilor Edwards said, “So proud to partner with Councilor Flynn on this matter. We are a stronger city if we can not only provide for veterans but make there they can thrive here in Boston. I often think if services through the eyes of the child of a veteran. So much of what my mother could do for us was dependent on good government doing right by our military service members.”
Tom Lyons, Vice President of External Affairs at MassHousing and member of the South Boston Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee, said,” People need not so much be informed, as they need to be reminded. We need to remember our commitment to our Veterans when they return home from their service.”
For more information, please contact Councilor Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 & Ed.Flynn@Boston.Gov, or Councilor Edwards at 617-635-3200 & Lydia.Edwards@Boston.Gov.
