This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact The Epoch Times Reprints.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announces the appointment of Christine Clarke as chair and commissioner for the New York City Commission on Human Rights at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights, Queens, in New York City on Jan. 7, 2026. Jason Alpert-Wisnia/Hans Lucas via AFP via Getty Images
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Wednesday that the city will restart efforts to dismantle makeshift homeless encampments, highlighting a new strategy focused on sustained outreach to link people with shelters and services rather than depending on police-led removals.
Mamdani, who suspended the policy of his predecessor Eric Adams days into his term in January, said the revamped method would be spearheaded by the Department of Homeless Services rather than law enforcement. The city will first post notices at encampment sites and deploy outreach workers every day for a week to build trust and guide individuals on housing options before any clearance operations.
“We will meet them looking to connect them with shelter, looking to them with services, looking to connect them with a city that wants them to be sheltered and indoors and warm and safe. And that is something that I believe will yield far better results,” Mamdani said at a news conference unrelated to the homeless policy.
At least 19 people died outdoors during a recent stretch of severe cold. City officials say there is no evidence connecting those deaths to encampments, pointing toward efforts to move individuals into shelters, heated buses, and warming centers.
Mamdani’s administration said at a January press conference that “no one in this city will be denied shelter” and that all hospitals, drop-in centers, and shelters have an open-door policy.
Mamdani’s move to halt encampment clearances aligned with his campaign promises. As mayor-elect, he pledged to discontinue the sweeps. He called them ineffective in addressing root causes like housing shortages.
Mamdani, whose broader policy includes rent freezes and sanctuary city protections, has pledged to focus on strengthening rental assistance, expanding supportive housing, and funding eviction-prevention services.
Under the previous administration, sweeps involved police and sanitation teams. Only a small portion of affected individuals accepted shelter.
A mayor’s office spokesperson said police would serve only as observers during clearances. Sanitation workers would dismantle on the seventh day, ideally after residents have voluntarily relocated.
David Giffen, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless, said his group was “blindsided” by the announcement, criticizing it as a “political response” that could harm outreach efforts and lead to more deaths in future weather crises.
“When a city worker shows up and throws out all your belongings, you’re not going to trust that person the next time they show up offering you a place to sleep inside,” Giffen said.
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin praised the move as “an important step forward,” saying that leaving people on the streets in extreme weather is inhumane and that protecting lives must be the priority.
More than 100,000 homeless individuals were estimated to live in New York as of 2024, according to the New York State Comptroller. Mamdani’s team added 60 outreach workers in the latest budget to support street-level assistance.
Kimberly Hayek is a reporter for The Epoch Times. She covers California news and has worked as an editor and on scene at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2018 migrant caravan crisis.
