Through Operation Veteran Empowerment, Dixon Center provides emergency financial assistance on behalf of women veterans who are associated with New York State and facing urgent financial hardship. This assistance is paid directly to the vendor—such as a landlord, rental agency, utility company, or car repair service—not to the veteran herself.

Eligible expenses may include past-due rent or mortgage, utility bills, car repairs, or other critical needs. We ask that referring organizations help gather documentation (see FAQ #3) but to streamline the application process, if the woman veteran is being referred, we do not require proof of service. If you are a woman veteran applying on your own, please still provide proof of service.

Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services can also address food insecurity by providing grocery store gift cards to applicants. Gift cards are typically for major grocery retailers and stores that offer food and essential household items, like baby supplies. Specific retailers may vary based on location and availability.

Response time for gift cards is faster and less restrictive and can have an immediate impact if the store has e-gift cards that can be purchased online. (i.e. Wal-mart)

Any woman veteran associated with New York state who has a demonstrated need: behind on mortgage/rental payments or utilities, car repair, food insecurity, and others.

In order for the application to be processed, the woman veteran will need to create a profile on our CAN portal and fill out the required information completely. Once the financial assistance is approved, the organization that is owed payment receives the funds—no direct financial grants are provided to the applicant. Applicants that are being referred from other organizations do not require a copy of their DD214/DD215, but we do require a full copy of the bill in PDF, scanned, or JPG of the bill or lease agreement that the financial assistance is addressing. We do not accept screenshots of bills that are missing information. A W-9 from the organization/company that will receive the funds must also be provided to process payment of the funds. If you are applying on your own and not as a referral from an organization, please also provide proof of service.

Yes, Dixon Center can refer applicants to other Operation Veteran Empowerment partners:

     (a) Single Stop is a nonprofit that helps individuals and families, particularly low-income, student, and veteran populations, access critical public benefits and community resources. OVE applicants have access to Single Stop’s online screening tools to assess eligibility for between 20-40 federal, state, and local programs in the state of New York, at no cost to the applicant.

     (b) VeteransPlus is a nonprofit that empowers veterans with the financial tools and personalized coaching they need to regain stability and build lasting economic wellness.

     (c) The Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN) is a secure, cloud-based platform that connects individuals in need—especially veterans and low-income families—with a nationwide network of vetted nonprofit service providers. Through a single application, users can access assistance for housing, utilities, financial coaching, employment, and more. CAN streamlines case management, enabling real-time collaboration between applicants and providers. The platform is HIPAA- and HUD-compliant, ensuring data privacy and accountability across all services.

While male veterans are not eligible for emergency financial assistance, they are eligible for the services addressed in FAQ #4.

The woman veteran must be living and must be the one to apply. The program is available to assist with expenses of the woman veteran herself, the woman veteran’s spouse, the caregiver of a woman veterans, of the veteran’s child(ren).

You will need to create a profile on our CAN portal and fill out required information completely.