Council Member Shahana Hanif Mamdani deployed school nurses and peer outreach workers Tuesday to bring homeless New Yorkers indoors as temperatures plunged into dangerous territory across the five boroughs.
The Brooklyn council member, who chairs the General Welfare Committee, said the city’s standard outreach efforts aren’t enough when the mercury drops below freezing. “This is lethal cold,” Mamdani said. “We need every available resource on the street.”
The emergency mobilization comes as the National Weather Service issued wind chill warnings for the metropolitan area, with overnight lows expected to hit single digits through Thursday. The Department of Homeless Services activated Code Blue protocols, opening additional shelter beds and extending outreach hours.
Mamdani’s initiative pairs school nurses with experienced homeless individuals who work as peer counselors. The teams focus on known encampments in Prospect Park, under the Manhattan Bridge, and along subway grates in Midtown where people seek warmth.
“School nurses know how to talk to people who might not trust authority,” said Maria Santos, a nurse at PS 321 in Park Slope who volunteered for the program. “And the peer counselors know exactly where people are hiding.”
The approach reflects growing frustration among council members with the Adams administration’s homeless strategy. City data shows roughly 3,000 people sleep outdoors nightly, though advocates say the actual number is higher.
“The mayor keeps talking about getting people off the streets, but when it’s life or death, we need action, not press conferences,” Mamdani said.
The Department of Homeless Services said it welcomed additional outreach efforts but noted the city already has 200 trained workers canvassing during Code Blue conditions.
The cold snap is expected to break Friday, with temperatures returning to seasonal averages in the mid-30s.
