New York Governor Andrew Cuomo passed an executive order on Sunday ordering officials throughout the state to force the homeless into shelters when temperatures are at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius).
Cuomo directed state agencies to take "all necessary steps to identify individuals reasonably believed to be homeless and unwilling or unable to find the shelter necessary for safety and health in inclement winter weather, and move such individuals to the appropriate sheltered facilities," reports Christian Science Monitor.
"Our state, which has a beautiful tradition of social progress and community, should not leave anyone outside in freezing temperatures. That's called basic humanity," Cuomo said, according to NY1.
"It's about love. It's about compassion. It's about helping one another and basic human decency," Cuomo added, according to the New York Times.
Today I signed an executive order to protect homeless individuals during inclement weather: https://t.co/V3ZZk3VGoO pic.twitter.com/Tdqnln8KCJ
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 3, 2016
As news of the Governors directions spread, there were reactions from across the state and the city of New York.
"We support the intent of the executive order, but to forcibly remove all homeless individuals in freezing weather, as the governor has ordered, will require him to pass state law," said Karen Hinton press secretary, to Mayor Bill de Blasio, in a statement, reports the New York Times.
"It's not a crime to be homeless. It's not a crime to be on the street. Police resources are not an appropriate response to being on the street," said Joshua Goldfein of the Legal Aid Society, according to NY1.
"If I get sued for keeping people safe and getting people in from the cold, because they were endangering themselves, so be it," Cuomo said reacting to the different opinions, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Temperatures across the state are expected to plummet over the week and with 80,000 homeless individuals in the state, (as per a 2015 report by the National Alliance to End Homelessness), Cuomo's initiative and will to enforce it will be tested in the coming days.
