New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order on Jan. 3 mandating all local governments shelter homeless individuals when the temperatures fall below freezing.

The order, which went into effect on Jan. 5, is meant to ensure that homeless individuals are directed to shelter when subjected to weather that can cause hypothermia, serious injury and death, according to a release from Cuomo’s office.

Under the order, homeless shelters would be required to extend their hours of operations so that people without shelter can remain indoors, according to the release. New York state will assist local social services districts that lack facilities, resources or expertise, according to the release.

The cause of the order is justified, according to the release, because under the New York State Constitution, New York state “has an obligation to provide for the aid, care and support of persons in need and to protect and promote the health of its citizens.”

Cuomo’s order requires that there be coordination between police agency resources and local social service providers in order to “conduct outreach to the homeless and to facilitate their transfer to sheltered locations,” according to the release.

“I direct all local social service districts, police agencies including the New York State Police, and state agencies to take all necessary steps to identify individuals reasonably believed to be homeless and unwilling or unable to find the shelter necessary for safety and health in inclement winter weather, and move such individuals to the appropriate sheltered facilities,” Cuomo said in the release.

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner told the New York Times that Cuomo’s intentions are “admirable.” But she also warned that forcibly removing homeless people would equate to “criminalizing homelessness.”

“Sheltering people means you have to build relationships, because a lot of them have mental health issues or substance abuse issues,” she said in the article, adding that excessive police force could diminish those relationships.

Paul Driscoll, a Syracuse city hall official that oversees the city’s homelessness programs, said in a Syracuse.com article that Syracuse city agencies have not changed their approach to combating homelessness since Cuomo’s announcement.

Published on January 19, 2016 at 9:26 pm

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