NYC Code Blue: What Happens on Freezing Nights and Who to Call

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Code Blue is New York City's cold-weather emergency protocol for people without a home. Once it's declared, shelters take walk-ins without the usual intake, drop-in centers stay open around the clock and hospital waiting rooms become warming spaces. Here's what changes, where to go in each borough and who to call.

AT A GLANCE

When it starts: The City follows Code Blue procedures when it's 32°F or lower, including wind chill. The Department of Homeless Services (DHS) describes the window as 4 p.m. to 8 a.m.
No one is turned away: DHS says no one who is homeless and seeking shelter during a Code Blue will be denied.
Walk in anywhere: You can stay at any DHS shelter or drop-in center without going through normal intake.
Hospitals open their doors: More than 50 NYC hospitals, including public hospitals, run a full open-door policy.
See someone in the cold? Call 311 (or 212-639-9675). Call 911 if the person is in danger or needs medical help.

What changes when a Code Blue is declared

On an ordinary night, getting into a New York City shelter means an intake process. During a Code Blue, that process is set aside. The 311 guide says people may stay at any DHS shelter or drop-in center without going through normal intake. DHS says shelter is available system-wide, both for people outreach teams bring in and for walk-ins.

Here's how the main pieces of the system shift:

Service	On a Code Blue night
DHS shelters	Normal intake suspended. Beds for people brought by outreach and for walk-ins
Drop-in centers	Open 24 hours. If full, staff find another site and offer transportation
Hospitals	More than 50 hospitals run a full open-door policy. Waiting rooms serve as warming centers
Street outreach	Teams check people on the streets and in the subway more often
311 calls about unsheltered people	Routed to 911 during the emergency, according to DSS

No one who is homeless and seeking shelter in New York City during a Code Blue will be denied.

What makes it an "Enhanced" Code Blue

The City steps up again under an Enhanced Code Blue. The 311 guide lists these triggers:

Continuous or accumulating precipitation, such as snowfall of 3 inches or more
Ice storms or freezing rain
Temperature or wind chill below -5°F, for any amount of time
Sustained winds of 40 mph or higher
A request from NYC Emergency Management or City Hall

The difference shows in how often outreach teams check on people. In February 2026 testimony to the City Council, the Department of Social Services (DSS) said that during a Code Blue, outreach teams contact people on their Code Blue Priority Lists at least every four hours from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. During an Enhanced Code Blue, that becomes every two hours. Each October, teams build those lists. They focus on people at highest risk, such as adults 60 or older and people with a history of frostbite or hypothermia.

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Where to go if you need to get warm

Drop-in centers are often the easiest first stop. They offer food, showers, laundry and help getting into shelter, and DSS told the Council they're open year-round, 24 hours a day. These are the drop-in centers the City's 311 warming guide listed as 24/7 warming spaces:

Borough	Drop-in center	Address
Bronx	The Living Room	800 Barretto St. (at Lafayette Ave.)
Brooklyn	The Gathering Place	2402 Atlantic Ave.
Manhattan	9th Avenue Drop-In Center	771 9th Ave.
Manhattan	Olivieri Drop-In Center	257 W. 30th St.
Manhattan	Paul's Place Drop-In Center	114 W. 14th St.
Queens	Queens Drop-In Center	100-32 Atlantic Ave., Richmond Hill
Queens	Union Hall Drop-In Center	92-32 Union Hall St., Jamaica
Staten Island	Project Hospitality	150 Richmond Terrace (near the St. George ferry terminal)

Hospital waiting rooms

The same 311 guide listed these NYC Health + Hospitals sites as 24/7 warming spaces:

Bronx: Jacobi (1400 Pelham Pkwy. S.), Lincoln (234 E. 149th St.), North Central Bronx (3424 Kossuth Ave.)
Brooklyn: Kings County (451 Clarkson Ave.), South Brooklyn Health (2601 Ocean Pkwy.), Woodhull (760 Broadway)
Manhattan: Bellevue (462 1st Ave.), Harlem (506 Lenox Ave.), Metropolitan (1901 1st Ave.)
Queens: Elmhurst (79-01 Broadway), Queens (82-68 164th St., Jamaica)

Warming buses

Last winter the guide also listed warming buses parked overnight, including outside Lincoln, Bellevue, Elmhurst and Queens hospitals (10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) and near Penn Station and the Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue station. During the long cold spell in early 2026, DSS said the City added warming buses in every borough running 24 hours, opened about 300 extra low-barrier beds, and set up its first-ever 24-hour Enhanced Code Blue on January 31. Bus locations change from winter to winter, so check 311 for this season's list.

Bringing a pet

DSS said it started a pilot at three drop-in centers, in the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens. During a Code Blue, a person can bring one cat or one dog under 45 pounds. Ask 311 which sites are taking part before you go.

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How to help someone you see outside

You don't need to know the person. Here's what to do:

Decide if it's an emergency. Call 911 if the person is on subway tracks, seems to need medical help, or is a danger to themselves or others.
Otherwise, call 311 or use the 311 homeless outreach request. On normal days, the 311 guide says a DHS team arrives within an hour. During a Code Blue, DSS says these calls go to 911 so a responder can come quickly.
Give a precise location. Name the cross streets, the side of the street, a subway station entrance or a landmark.
Describe what you see, such as no coat, a person lying still, or someone sleeping in a doorway.
Leave your number if you're willing. DHS may call you for more details.

People don't always say yes to help, and DSS says outreach is overwhelmingly voluntary. DSS says outreach teams work throughout the day and night and build relationships over time, so a second call later in the night can still matter.

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Families with children: apply at PATH

The Code Blue walk-in rules are aimed at people on the street. Families with children who need shelter apply at DHS's Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) intake center:

Address: 151 East 151st Street, Bronx (2, 4 or 5 train to 149th Street–Grand Concourse)
Hours: Open 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays. Applications are processed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Phone: 718-503-6400
Bring: ID for everyone in the household, such as a photo ID, birth certificates, Social Security cards and Medicaid cards, plus a recent pay stub if you work. Family workers can help you get missing documents.

At PATH, staff will first ask about options that could help you avoid shelter, such as an HRA one-shot deal. Our guide to the NYC One-Shot Deal explains how that emergency help works.

Before you call

☐ The exact location: cross streets, the side of the street or the subway station
☐ What the person looks like and what they're wearing
☐ Whether they seem hurt, confused or unresponsive. If so, call 911
☐ For yourself: who's with you, such as children or a pet
☐ Any medication or medical equipment you need to bring
☐ For PATH: ID and documents for each household member

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK

Sign up for Notify NYC so you get emergency alerts and updates on resources as the weather changes.
Save 311 and 212-639-9675 in your phone, and add 911 to your own plan for emergencies.
Note the drop-in center and hospital nearest you from the lists above.
If you know someone at risk, make a plan now for where they'll go on the first freezing night.

Related help

If you have a home but the heat isn't working, read our guide to NYC heat season rights and our tips on staying warm safely until the heat is restored.

Official sources

Last checked: October 23, 2026 (DHS and NYC311 pages; warming bus sites and the pet pilot are from winter 2025–26 and may change this season).