New York City held its first-ever Remembrance Ruck on Sept. 13, 2026, a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge honoring post‑9/11 fallen service members that ended with a resource fair at Surrogates Court where the city’s Department of Veterans Services (DVS) and other city agency partners and veteran-serving organizations offered connections to housing, benefits, mental‑health, and employment resources. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=722
# What’s happening
– The city held the first Remembrance Ruck on Sept. 13, 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=722
– A resource fair took place at Surrogates Court after the ruck. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=1291
– The Department of Veterans Services (DVS) and city agency partners staffed outreach tables. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=914
# Why it matters
– Veterans, military families, and Gold Star families who attended could get direct referrals and service information. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=1291
– The fair connected attendees to housing, benefits navigation, mental‑health, and employment support resources. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=1291
# Key details
– Date: Sept. 13, 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=722
– Route: participants walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and finished at Foley Square. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=1291
– Resource fair location: Surrogates Court (finish line). Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=1291
– Agency lead present: New York City Department of Veterans Services (DVS). Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=914
– Attendees received wristbands with QR codes linking to names and photos of post‑9/11 fallen New Yorkers. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=1291
– City figure quoted: Deputy Mayor Dr. Helen Artiaga cited “more than 135,000 veterans” in New York City. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=722
The Remembrance Ruck was organized by city officials and included remarks from Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the deputy mayor for health and human services, and the commissioner of the Department of Veteran Services. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=722
**Department of Veterans Services (DVS)**
– Role or jurisdiction: New York City agency responsible for veteran outreach and services.
– Action taken or responsibility: Led resource connections at the Remembrance Ruck resource fair.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Identified more than 135,000 veterans in the city during remarks. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=722
City officials told the crowd the resource fair existed so veterans could “connect… with assistance [and] community resources” at the finish line. The transcript for the event repeatedly instructs attendees to visit the resource fair for help finding the “right agency” and “stable housing.” Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=914; https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=1291
What agencies and services were present at the resource fair
– The event materials and speeches name the New York City Department of Veterans Services and “city agency partners” and “veteran-serving organizations and community partners” as staffing the fair; no further agency list appears in the event transcript. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=1020; https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=914
How veterans can follow up after the fair (official DVS programs and contact paths)
– Visit the DVS landing page at nyc.gov/vets to find DVS programs and contact information. (Source: earlier DVS testimony to the City Council; external to the Sept. 13 meeting.) Source (external): https://youtu.be/XmhlKCtLfN0&t=1162
– Use NYC Vet Connect, the DVS platform that links service members, veterans, survivors, caregivers, and military families to services offered by government and nonprofit partners; Vet Connect reported handling veterans and family referrals in city budget hearings. (This program description and usage data come from prior DVS briefings to the City Council; external to the Sept. 13 meeting.) Source (external): https://youtu.be/zr0qVlw9pmI&t=3458
– Follow or access DVS programs referenced in agency testimony, including Vet Check (outreach calls), Vet Jobs (employment coordination), the Veteran Mental Health Coalition, the veteran feeding program, Veteran Voices (oral histories), and housing resources such as Mitchell‑Lama veterans preference transparency. These programs were described in prior DVS testimony to the City Council. (External to Sept. 13 meeting.) Source (external): https://youtu.be/RJz2GQZIwQ&t=12474
Practical next steps DVS and partners have recommended in prior briefings
– Go to nyc.gov/vets to request help or to find program pages and forms. (External to Sept. 13 meeting.) Source (external): https://youtu.be/XmhlKCtLfN0&t=1162
– Ask for a Vet Connect referral to schedule personalized follow‑up with housing, benefits, employment, or mental‑health teams. (External to Sept. 13 meeting.) Source (external): https://youtu.be/zr0qVlw9pmI&t=3458
– If you received a QR code wristband at the ruck, use it to view the memorial content and—if it links to DVS materials—follow those prompts to reach services. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=1291
What the record shows about outcomes and follow‑through
– DVS officials have told the City Council that many services require follow‑up and can take weeks or months, especially benefits claims, and that DVS uses referral platforms to track contacts and outcomes. Those procedural points come from prior budget and oversight hearings. (External to Sept. 13 meeting.) Source (external): https://youtu.be/zr0qVlw9pmI&t=2570
If you attended the Remembrance Ruck and need help now
– The event directed attendees to the resource fair at Surrogates Court for immediate assistance and referrals on Sept. 13, 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=1291
– For program signups or referrals after the event, use DVS online resources and the Vet Connect platform as noted above. (External to Sept. 13 meeting.) Source (external): https://youtu.be/XmhlKCtLfN0&t=1162; https://youtu.be/zr0qVlw9pmI&t=3458
This report is based on event remarks and the public transcript for the Sept. 13, 2026 Remembrance Ruck and on prior Department of Veterans Services testimony to the City Council about DVS programs and contact methods. Source: https://youtu.be/SqogmfdN1_A&t=722; Source (external): https://youtu.be/RJz2GQZIwQ&t=12474; https://youtu.be/XmhlKCtLfN0&t=1162; https://youtu.be/zr0qVlw9pmI&t=3458
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