Homeless New Yorkers go underground to escape the cold

Early Sunday morning, as temperatures in New York City, USA dropped below zero degrees, on a subway car, seven people lay sprawled on benches, their heads on backpacks, wrapped in flimsy blankets, beside them were old, worn suitcases. In other cars, people saw similar scenes. A man dragged a plastic bag filled with beer and soda cans. Another dozed, clutching a pizza box. In the quiet and warm air of each train car, homeless people fell deep into 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, a 40 percent increase from the year before. In normal weather, homeless people sleep on the streets, in underground tunnels or elevated walkways, 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 on a bench. "This is the first time I've slept on the subway," the 25-year-old girl said. 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 struggle 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 increased dramatically, forcing the city government to launch a crackdown and send them to temporary shelters for the homeless. More than 100 security officers spread out at subway stations and transfer stations. However, their rule is not to 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 obviously homeless, others 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 doubt. They’re even struggling with mental health issues.”

Mr. Rosenblatt said that homeless people often choose long-distance trains to have more time to sleep between cleanings. "People with mental health problems 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 played his trumpet at Pennsylvania Station every day to earn money. 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. Jean found the E line 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 smoke in underground train stations. According to the National Weather Service, the cold winds that accompanied the snowstorm 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 disembark." But none of the people huddled in their seats got off.