Homeless New Yorkers Go Underground to Escape the Cold

Early Sunday morning, as temperatures in New York City dropped below freezing, seven people lay sprawled on benches, their heads on backpacks, wrapped in flimsy blankets, and their battered suitcases beside them. Similar scenes were seen in other cars. One man dragged a plastic bag filled with beer and soda cans. Another dozed off, clutching a pizza box. In the quiet and warmth of each train car, homeless people fell into a deep sleep in the cold winter night, according to the New York Times.

There were about 3,900 homeless people in New York City last year, up 40 percent from the year before. In normal weather, homeless people sleep on the streets, in underground tunnels or overpasses, and along subway corridors. But when temperatures drop below freezing, homeless people have no choice but to retreat underground and huddle in heated subway cars day and night.

Around midnight on January 6, while a snowstorm was raging across a series of states on the East Coast of the United States, New York City was covered in 25 cm of snow and was experiencing winds of more than 50 km/h and gusts of nearly 100 km/h, Shanaira Hobgood stretched out on a bench. "This is the first time I've slept on the subway," said the 25-year-old girl. Since moving out to live on her own seven years ago, Hobgood has had to sleep on the streets many nights. Despite graduating from high school and dropping out of college, Hobgood is currently unemployed. After staying at a friend's house for a while, the young girl said "I'm no longer welcome at my friend's house." About two weeks ago, Hobgood started to hang out on the subway after her hands turned purple from the cold.

During the recent unusual cold snap, the number of homeless people pouring into the subway has increased dramatically, forcing the city to launch a crackdown and move them to temporary shelters. More than 100 security officers have been deployed to subway stations and transit stations. However, their policy is to not approach homeless people once the train doors have closed, because they do not want the already vulnerable people to feel like "trapped prey."

“Some people are homeless, some don’t look like it, but they’re all vulnerable,” said Muzzy Rosenblatt, the city’s top neighborhood official. “They’re full of fear and suspicion. They’re even struggling with mental health issues.”

Mr Rosenblatt said homeless people often choose long-distance trains to get more sleep between cleanings. "People with mental health issues develop survival skills. They know that the E line is the best line." The E subway line runs 50 minutes underground from the first stop to the last, without any part of the train rising above ground. As a result, the temperature on the train is always stable and warm. Meanwhile, "people with alcohol or drug addiction often choose Line 1 because they are not very aware of the change in weather!" Mr Rosenblatt said.

Jean, a trumpet player, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He spent his days playing the trumpet at Pennsylvania Station. On cold nights, he would go to his parents' house in Newark, 9 miles west of downtown New York, to sleep. But he often slept on the train. The E Line, Jean said, was both warm and safe. "A lot of the lines go through neighborhoods that are full of crime," the 39-year-old said. "Bad guys, they steal your stuff while you're sleeping."

On Sunday, the temperature dropped so low that people were still breathing in the underground stations. According to the National Weather Service, the cold winds that accompanied the blizzard pushed the temperature down to -20 degrees Celsius. On one train, an elderly man pushed a cart containing all his personal belongings, which he tied to a stainless steel pole with a nylon bag. Nearby, a young man in baggy pants was holding a kitten, a young woman in tight leggings was carrying a worn suitcase, and a man collecting scrap metal was dragging a bag full of cans. Each person chose a chair.

“The whole train was packed with homeless people,” said Christopher Mendoza, a night-shift supervisor. “There were far more homeless people than usual that night.” As the train pulled into the World Trade Center terminal, the loudspeakers blared: “This is the last stop. Please get off.” But none of the people huddled in their seats got off.