ALBANY, NY -- Senator John E. Brooks (SD-8) held a press conference today in Albany in support of The PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project and their mission to provide peer-to-peer support and counseling to veterans and their families through programs, projects, and education in order to promote mental wellness, camaraderie, and purpose.  The Dwyer Project began in 2012 as a pilot partnership between the Suffolk County United Veterans Program and the Suffolk County Veterans Service Agency and has expanded to 23 counties across the state.  It receives its funding from the NYS Senate Budget, which is currently up for review in the 2020-21 fiscal year. 

“The Dwyer Project is more than just treatment and programs, it has become a community of service and an extended family for many who otherwise would be unable to cope with their struggles;” says Brent Russell, Program Coordinator of the Nassau chapter.  “We are grateful to Senator Brooks for his leadership on this issue as well as his unceasing dedication to veterans in general.  We look forward to continuing our efforts together and will be standing by him throughout this process.”

As a veteran himself and the Chairman of the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs, Senator Brooks is uniquely capable of understanding the impending need to secure continued support for important programs such as the Dwyer Project, and is leading the drive to ensure its execution as his top priority. 

“The urgent need for this program, and others like it, is evident in the needs of those suffering from their experiences and our first goal is to make sure they know that they have not been forgotten,” says Senator Brooks. “This is a program that enables veterans with knowledge and understanding of issues like PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), depression, and substance abuse to meet with and counsel veterans who are suffering from one, or several, of these afflictions as a result of their service to our country.”

Senator Brooks will be working tirelessly with his Senate colleagues to secure the proper funding for the Dwyer Project as the budget process continues.