Queens Gazette

Frigid Temps Force Homeless Off Local Streets




Workers with the city’s Department of Homeless Services (DHS) this week headed to the streets on a “Code Blue” mission to try to coax the homeless out of the frigid temperatures and into city shelters.

DHS officials declare a “Code Blue” each time the thermometer dips below 32 degrees, sending outreach teams into neighborhoods to seek out the homeless and convince them to head indoors. Temperatures dipped into the 20s and lower this week – the first frigid digits of the 2013 winter.

When a Code Blue is called, DHS officials double the amount of outreach teams on the streets overnight, to seek out homeless huddled in doorways and shivering on street corners, an agency spokesperson said.

The outreach teams join forces with Emergency Medical Services and local police to try to prevent hypothermia and frostbite in the homeless.

“Convincing people who live on the streets to go to a shelter for even one night is no easy task,” the spokesperson said. “Even the most frigid temperatures are not enough to make some people leave their few belongings to stay in a shelter.

“Many of the homeless have mental health issues that keep them on the street – and interfere with their judgment to get out of the cold,” the spokesperson said.

The teams this week scoured Steinway Street, Broadway, Ditmars Boulevard, 36th Avenue and local streets in the area in search of homeless individuals, the spokesperson said.

“The teams located two or three individuals on the commercial strips but were unable to find any client in Astoria Park or the surrounding areas,” the spokesperson said. “The teams check locations several times before determining there are no homeless at a specific location. They know exactly where to look for people who might be in trouble.”

DHS officials are urging area residents to call 311 if they see a homeless individual in need of assistance.



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