NYC Adds $25 Million for Winter Outreach and Warming Sites, Readies Snowplows

New York City is adding $25 million to its winter Code Blue response, with more outreach workers, medical teams and places to warm up as cold weather intensifies.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the preparations Monday alongside an expanded snow and ice clearing plan. The new Code Blue system will scale resources according to the severity and duration of cold, snowy and icy conditions.

The city plans more than 300 additional canvassers and up to 55 Health + Hospitals mobile units offering medical support and transportation to warm locations. At least three hospitals will open as warming centers, with all 11 available during the most severe weather.

At peak activation, the Department of Homeless Services plans eight drop-in centers, four new warming centers and 20 warming buses. The city is also adding more than 600 single- and double-occupancy rooms, creating 800 shelter beds.

For snow clearing, the Sanitation Department says it has more than 2,200 vehicles ready to become snowplows, over 700 salt spreaders and 7,000 trained uniformed workers. It has acquired 120 snow blowers for bus stops and crosswalks and stockpiled 500 million pounds of salt.

The announcement describes preparations for the winter ahead. It is not an announcement that a snow emergency or citywide Code Blue activation is currently in effect.