New York Mayor Reverses Homeless Encampment Policy After 19 Die in Cold Snap

By Nicole Weatherholtz | Wednesday, 18 February 2026 12:14 PM EST
Facing mounting backlash after 19 people died during a winter cold snap, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is reversing a major campaign promise and reinstating homeless encampment sweeps across the five boroughs.

The mayor is expected to restart the sweeps as soon as Wednesday, sources said, marking a significant retreat from a key campaign pledge to end the controversial practice.

Mamdani halted the sweeps shortly after taking office Jan. 1, directing the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and the NYPD to leave encampments — and nearby personal property — untouched.

But the decision reportedly left the city without a clear plan as homeless encampments continued to grow and winter temperatures plunged.

Now, the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) will once again take the lead in issuing notices to those living in encampments. Outreach workers will repeatedly return over the course of a week in an effort to connect individuals with shelter and services before sites are cleared.

The revived strategy mirrors the approach used under former Mayor Eric Adams, with police officers and sanitation workers present during sweeps.

So far this year, the city has logged more than 3,300 encampment complaints, according to 311 data — underscoring mounting public frustration over conditions on city streets.

The policy shift follows scrutiny over the deaths of nearly two dozen people during a stretch of winter weather — the first major crisis of Mamdani’s administration.

City Council Speaker Julie Menin blasted the administration’s response during a hearing last week, saying, “These New Yorkers should be alive today.”

Before taking office, Mamdani had pledged to end encampment sweeps altogether, arguing in December that the practice was ineffective and resulted in only limited shelter placements.

However, after issuing his halt order, DHS was reportedly left without clear guidance on how to handle the growing number of makeshift street dwellings.

“The fact they keep rolling back campaign promises shows they spent the summer only saying whatever made political sense,” an insider said.

City Hall confirmed the renewed enforcement effort, framing it as a more targeted approach. Officials also pointed to the mayor’s new budget, which includes 60 additional outreach workers tasked with helping move individuals off streets and into shelters.

“When Mayor Mamdani took office, he paused the failed encampment sweep policies of the past, making clear that the city would no longer rely on approaches that simply moved people from block to block without real support,” City Hall spokesperson Matt Rauschenbach told reporters.

“The goal is to maximize placements into shelter and connect unhoused New Yorkers to the services they need so that when DSNY clears an encampment on day seven, meaningful progress has already been made,” he added.

Earlier this month, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Mamdani’s political beliefs help explain why the mayor reversed the policy, which Giuliani described as designed to save lives.

“Communists have no regard for human life,” Giuliani remarked on a recent show, referring to Mamdani’s self-declared status as a democratic socialist.

Nicole Weatherholtz is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist covering news, politics, and culture.