NYC puts $25 million into Code Blue: 300 more outreach workers, 800 cold-night beds and a new snow plan for bus stops and crosswalks

New York City will spend an extra $25 million this winter to find and shelter homeless New Yorkers during extreme cold and to clear snow faster from the bus stops, crosswalks and curb ramps that stayed buried after last February's blizzard, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday, Nov. 9.

The plan follows a harsh first winter for the administration. By mid-February, 19 people had been found dead outdoors during a prolonged cold snap and seven others had died of hypothermia inside private homes, amNewYork reported, though not all of the outdoor deaths were confirmed to be caused by the cold. "We have spent the past year preparing for any challenge winter throws our way," Mamdani said in a statement.

What changes in Code Blue

Code Blue is the city's emergency mode for homeless New Yorkers when the temperature, including wind chill, is at or below freezing. Under the expansion, according to City Hall as reported by amNewYork and ABC7:

• Outreach: more than 300 additional canvassers on walking and driving routes across the five boroughs, covering 75% of the places where homeless New Yorkers are known to stay. Teams are told to engage anyone who may need help, not just people on preset lists.
• Medical teams: NYC Health + Hospitals will send up to 55 mobile medical units, each with a registered nurse or nurse practitioner, to treat people and take them to warming centers or hospitals.
• Beds: more than 600 single- and double-occupancy rooms, for 800 beds on the coldest days. The city did not say where they will be or when they open.
• Warming sites: at the highest alert level, the Department of Homeless Services will run four new warming centers and up to 20 warming buses, all 11 public hospitals will serve as warming locations, and four syringe service providers will stay open overnight.

City Hall did not break down how the $25 million will be divided among outreach, medical care and beds. At a Feb. 10 Council hearing, officials testified that police answered 2,679 Code Blue calls between Jan. 19 and Feb. 8, and Council members questioned cases in which no one was found, amNewYork reported.

A new snow plan for sidewalks and bus stops

• Staten Island: the Department of Sanitation added eight plow routes in the borough's hilliest areas, cutting the length of each route by more than 25% and assigning more equipment to its steepest, narrowest streets.
• Pedestrian areas: DSNY bought 120 snow blowers for bus stops and crosswalks, fitted 678 plows and spreaders with new blades, and added bus stops, sidewalks and crosswalks to its internal snow maps. Commissioner Gregory Anderson told the Council on Nov. 2 that about 20,000 corners are flagged for priority clearing, but he would not promise response times.
• Fleet: more than 2,200 vehicles that can be converted to plows, over 700 salt spreaders and 7,000 trained sanitation workers. ABC7 reported 500 million pounds of salt on hand.
• Shovelers: more than 3,000 people have registered as emergency snow shovelers since the pay rose from $19.14 to $30 an hour. Sign up at nyc.gov/snowemploy.

Federal forecasters expect a strong El Niño to bring a warmer, wetter winter to much of the East Coast, which can still mean ice and heavy, wet snow; seasonal outlooks do not predict snowfall totals.

What you can do

• If you see someone outside in the cold who may need help, call 311; call 911 if it is an emergency. See the 311 homeless outreach page.
• Text NOTIFYNYC to 692-692 for weather and emergency alerts.
• Heat season runs Oct. 1 to May 31: apartments must be at least 62°F overnight and 68°F in the day when it is below 55°F outside. Tell your landlord first, then call 311 for an HPD inspection.
• Property owners must clear a 4-foot path on their sidewalks after a storm.