Boston Council Veterans Committee Advances Federal Workforce Grant, Flags Service Gaps

BOSTON — November 21, 2025 — Boston's City Council Committee on Veterans Services heard broad calls Friday to expand outreach to women, LGBTQ+, and minority veterans while taking up a $12,881 Jobs for Veterans State Grant. Committee Chair Edward M. Flynn convened the November 21 hearing alongside Councilors Erin J. Murphy and Enrique J. Pepén, with Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and Councilors Brian Worrell, Benjamin J. Weber, and Julia M. Mejia attending. Veterans Services Commissioner Rob Santiago announced a $100,000 donation from Bright Marine earmarked for veteran food insecurity, confirmed the office is relocating to 26 Court Street across from City Hall, and reported the Bridge to Gap grant program has grown to a $300,000 pool with a January 20 application deadline. Kyle Foley, Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Coordinator at JVS Mass Hire Downtown Boston, testified that Massachusetts has seen a net out-migration of roughly 100,000 veterans between 2017 and 2025, while Commander Meredith Stewart of the William E. Carter American Legion Post challenged the committee to open service doors specifically for women veterans who "don't even know that they are veterans."