A hoax in mid-May claiming that homeless New York veterans were being evicted to make room for immigrants was fishy from the get-go: The region has made big strides in housing veterans, and some communities say they’ve solved the issue completely.
New York City and its mayor, Eric Adams, are struggling to handle an influx of asylum seekers from the Mexico border and have moved them to suburban hotels this month in areas such as Dutchess County, New York, which prompted outrage from Republicans and cable news.
But the founder of a local charity, Sharon Toney-Finch, is now under fire for claiming nearly two dozen homeless veterans were evicted to make room for the migrants. Local news reports indicated the story was fabricated, according to The Associated Press, with an alleged check to cover the veterans’ stay apparently doctored and several men recruited to pretend they were kicked out of the hotel.
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While the area grapples with a migrant influx — the county declared a state of emergency last week — veterans have been well taken care of after years of effort. Dutchess County is one of 10 communities in New York state that reported veteran homelessness had been solved.
Toney-Finch, who says she served two tours in Iraq and was wounded, later claimed to have moved the homeless veterans to a hotel in Danbury, Connecticut, to keep them safe….
