NYC opens low-barrier shelter with 100+ units in Lower Manhattan
320 Pearl Street © 2024 Google
New York City has opened a new safe haven shelter in the South Street Seaport, offering secure temporary housing to more than 100 unhoused New Yorkers, as deaths linked to the city’s ongoing stretch of extreme cold continue to rise. On Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the opening of a long-stalled shelter at 320 Pearl Street, offering 106 beds, on-site services, and no curfews or similar restrictions in an effort to encourage more homeless New Yorkers to come in from the cold, according to Gothamist. The new shelter is part of a series of measures Mamdani has enacted since the city entered this historic cold snap, including the opening of 50 additional shelter units in Upper Manhattan on Monday.
Run by Breaking Ground, the Pearl Street facility was originally proposed in early 2024 under former Mayor Eric Adams but was delayed following a lawsuit from a community group and a subsequent judge’s ruling.
The group argued that the city had not conducted a comprehensive “fair share” review detailing how many similar facilities were already in the area. Council Member Christopher Marte ultimately sided with the group, saying the plan raised “legitimate concern” due to the need for increased police presence around the nearby school, according to Gothamist.
Marte then directed the city to conduct a new analysis documenting how many shelters were already in the area. A spokesperson for the Department of Social Services (DSS) said the analysis had been completed and that the city was legally permitted to open the shelter.
A “Safe Haven” shelter features smaller settings, on-site services, and staff who work closely with residents to build trust, stabilize lives, and encourage transition into permanent housing. They are specifically designed for individuals who may be hesitant to accept traditional services.
According to amNY, the city’s fair-share analysis, filed Monday, states that Breaking Ground will provide 24/7 security to monitor residents’ movements, respond to emergencies, assist staff with crisis intervention, and maintain safety and order, emphasizing patience and compassion in all interactions.
The plan includes fixed security posts throughout the building, a roaming “floater” conducting safety checks, and at least four staff members on-site at all times. At least one staff member per shift will be trained in first aid and overdose response, and the facility will also feature around-the-clock video surveillance monitoring of both indoor and outdoor spaces.
Mamdani has expedited the shelter’s opening as the city continues to deal with a historic stretch of extreme cold and lingering snow and ice from the storm weeks ago. Since temperatures first dropped below freezing late last month, at least 17 people have been found dead outdoors, with hypothermia playing a role in at least 13 deaths, as 6sqft previously reported.
The mayor has also launched a broader series of cold-weather measures to protect the city’s most vulnerable residents. Last week, Mamdani opened 10 new warming shelters and 10 warming buses, and on Friday announced the deployment of 17 additional mobile warming units, bringing the total to 20 by Saturday night. Information on warming center and bus locations is available here.
The city has expanded outreach and shelter services amid the ongoing “Code Blue” cold weather emergency. Since January 19, DSS staff have placed 980 unhoused individuals into shelters, which are currently operating under relaxed intake policies to accommodate more people. To accelerate response times, all 311 calls concerning someone exposed to the cold are now being rerouted directly to 911.
“We are deploying every tool at our disposal to keep New Yorkers safe, warm, and indoors. This new facility in Lower Manhattan will help older and our most medically vulnerable New Yorkers get off the street and into stable shelter with the services that they need,” Mamdani said.
“City workers across the five boroughs are working overtime to provide services to those in need, clear the streets, pick up trash, and keep our city running. As the cold continues, I urge all New Yorkers to look out for your neighbors, call 311 if you see someone in need, and stay safe and warm indoors.”
At the Pearl Street shelter on Tuesday, Mamdani pushed back against calls from some local officials and business groups to revive the controversial “sweeps” policy, where police and sanitation workers break up tents and other homeless encampments in an effort to move them inside. He told Gothamist that none of the individuals who recently died outdoors were staying in such encampments.
He further criticized the policy as a “failure,” arguing that few people targeted end up in permanent housing or with long-term support. Between January 2024 and June 2025, the city conducted approximately 4,100 sweeps. During that period, individuals entered shelter roughly 260 times, but none moved into permanent housing.
David Giffen, executive director of Coalition for the Homeless, has supported Mamdani’s approach so far. While he said involuntary removal is necessary at certain moments, the broader calls for sweeps are just a “failed approach of the past,” according to Gothamist.
“We strongly support the City’s decision to fast-track the opening of a new low-barrier Safe Haven shelter in Lower Manhattan,” Giffen said. “The historic cold stretch has been made more deadly by the lack of safe, welcoming places for those living on the streets to come inside to find warmth and safety. For years, we have urged the City to increase the number of Safe Haven beds, particularly in Lower Manhattan, where the need has been so great.”
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