New York City confirmed its 14th death linked to a recent stretch of extreme cold, as officials and advocates grapple with the effects of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s approach to homeless encampments during the winter weather. The fatalities, reported over the past week, mark one of the deadliest cold spells for the city in recent years.
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City authorities have intensified outreach efforts, deploying staff from the Department of Social Services, NYPD officers, and homeless outreach teams to encourage people living outdoors to seek shelter. Since January 19, more than 860 individuals have been placed in shelters and safe havens, according to the mayor. Warming centers have been opened across the five boroughs, intake rules relaxed at low-barrier shelters, and on-call ambulettes deployed to transport residents in need. Preliminary findings indicate that hypothermia contributed to at least eight of the deaths.
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The rising death toll has drawn attention to a policy shift by Mayor Mamdani, who reversed a prior approach of actively clearing homeless encampments. His administration has emphasized voluntary engagement, with involuntary transport used only for individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others. Mayor Mamdani remarked, “We have involuntarily transported 16 New Yorkers who were determined to be a danger to themselves or to others,” highlighting the limited circumstances in which city workers intervene directly.
Previous mayors had ordered individuals living outdoors to be brought indoors during life-threatening temperatures, a move aimed at preventing deaths. Advocates warn that leaving people outdoors during subfreezing temperatures poses serious risks.
The current approach represents a historically significant change in the city’s handling of homelessness during extreme weather, raising questions about the balance between individual autonomy and public safety amid potentially record-breaking cold.
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