Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed reports Wednesday that he intends to restart homeless encampment sweeps after a historic cold snap resulted in the deaths of 20 New Yorkers — reversing his own stance on the policy.
Unlike the city’s previous policy under former Mayor Eric Adams, which charged the NYPD with sweeping homeless encampments, Mamdani will put the Department of Homeless Services in charge — a move in line with his efforts to shift responsibilities such as mental health response and homeless outreach away from the NYPD and toward other agencies.
