Saturday night is expected to be the coldest of the season so far, and New York City officials are expanding efforts to make sure all residents stay safe.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced expansions to shelters and warming facilities on Friday, and Saturday afternoon, the city announced even more action.

Helping homeless New Yorkers stay safe

In addition to the previously announced 10 school-based warming centers announced Friday, the city said two more will now open – one in Far Rockaway and one in Washington Heights.

Warming bus units will also operate at what the mayor describes as a heightened capacity, increasing from 27 buses on Friday night to 33 by Saturday night.

“The warming buses is good for people that need help in life, that’s struggling, that’s trying to get their housing right now,” Manhattan resident Peter Brasco said.  

In addition to more buses, Mamdani announced the addition of at least 150 more outreach workers to get New Yorkers in to newly added safe haven beds, expediting the opening of 64 new hotel shelter units in Queens, and cutting the 311 wait time in half to get help for housing insecure New Yorkers.

The mayor visited firefighters and EMS workers on Staten Island to thank them for their efforts Saturday.

“Just on Staten Island, Sanitation has melted more than 11 million tons of snow. This is all the work that city workers are doing in tandem with more than 550 outreach workers who are out there at all times of day to bring homeless New Yorkers inside,” Mamdani said.

Volunteers doing what they can to help

At Saint Clement’s Episcopal Church in Midtown, volunteers were giving away warm food, but they said fewer people have been coming out on colder days.

“It says that there’s a lot of people that we’re not able to get to or that are not able to come here because of the weather, and they may be going without food and that is big concern,” volunteer TT said.

Joan Ochei was among those who did brave the cold to pick up something to eat.

“Freezing, it’s freezing. But we have to make the best of it,” she said. “For people like us, this is like a relief, great relief for us.”

Volunteers are reminding New Yorkers that they aren’t alone and that help is out there.

“We’re here to help you, anytime, whatever you need,” TT said. “We’re here to help you. We can do what we can.”