Winter: warm places, heat at home and coats
Where to go if you are cold right now, what to do if your apartment has no heat, and where to get help paying for heat and warm clothes.
Start here
- For signs of frostbite or hypothermia, call 911.
- If you are cold right now, find the nearest warming center at on.nyc.gov/warmingcenters. Without internet, call 311 and say “Russian”: a free interpreter joins and they tell you an address. 311 answers 24/7; you can also text 311-692.
- If your apartment is cold, write to your landlord, and if the heat doesn't come back, file a complaint on 311 Online. Applications for HEAP, the heating benefit, are open from November 2, 2026.
Find the nearest warming center
A warming center is a heated place open to everyone. The list is at on.nyc.gov/warmingcenters. For the nearest address, call 311 (say “Russian” and a free interpreter joins) or text 311-692, 24/7.
Go to a hospital or drop-in center
During Code Blue (the cold-weather mode the City declares), City hospitals and drop-in centers are open to everyone 24/7.
Call 911 for frostbite or hypothermia
911 is ambulance, police and fire.
If someone outside needs help
Ask 311 to send homeless outreach, a team that helps people without housing get to a shelter or drop-in center.
Don't heat your home with an oven or stove
Never heat your home with an oven, a stove or a charcoal grill; kerosene and propane space heaters are illegal in New York City.
Enhanced Code Blue (DSS)
Free
The City's DSS activates Enhanced Code Blue when 32°F (0°C) or below, wind chill included, is expected between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. Outreach teams then look for people on the street and help them get to a shelter, a drop-in center or another place to sleep (safe havens, stabilization beds).
Hospitals, drop-in centers and shelters with open doors
Free
During Code Blue, more than 50 hospitals in the city, public hospitals included, plus DHS drop-in centers and shelters take in everyone who comes.
The City's list of warming centers
Free
The City posts the current list of warming centers at on.nyc.gov/warmingcenters.
During Code Blue, hospitals and drop-in centers are open 24/7, and warming buses stand outside at night.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
Free
A City hospital. During Code Blue you can come in to get warm at any hour.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln
Free
A City hospital. During Code Blue you can come in to get warm at any hour.
NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx
Free
A City hospital. During Code Blue you can come in to get warm at any hour.
The Living Room Drop-In Center
Free
Walk in without an appointment. Open 24/7 during Code Blue.
Warming bus at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln
Free
A warming bus is parked by the Emergency Department entrance.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
Free
A City hospital. During Code Blue you can come in to get warm at any hour.
NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health
Free
A City hospital. During Code Blue you can come in to get warm at any hour.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull
Free
A City hospital. During Code Blue you can come in to get warm at any hour.
The Gathering Place Drop-In Center
Free
Walk in without an appointment. Open 24/7 during Code Blue.
Warming bus at Coney Island Stillwell
Free
A warming bus is parked on Stillwell Avenue by the train station entrance.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
Free
A City hospital. During Code Blue you can come in to get warm at any hour.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem
Free
A City hospital. During Code Blue you can come in to get warm at any hour.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
Free
A City hospital. During Code Blue you can come in to get warm at any hour.
9th Avenue Drop-In Center
Free
Walk in without an appointment. Open 24/7 during Code Blue.
Olivieri Drop-In Center
Free
Walk in without an appointment. Open 24/7 during Code Blue.
Paul's Place Drop-In Center
Free
Walk in without an appointment. Open 24/7 during Code Blue.
Warming bus at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
Free
A warming bus is parked on 1st Avenue between East 27th and East 28th Streets.
Warming bus at Penn Station, 32nd Street
Free
A warming bus is parked at West 32nd Street and 7th Avenue.
Warming bus at Penn Station, 34th Street
Free
A warming bus is parked at West 34th Street and 7th Avenue, across from McDonald's.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
Free
A City hospital. During Code Blue you can come in to get warm at any hour.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens
Free
A City hospital. During Code Blue you can come in to get warm at any hour.
Queens Drop-In Center
Free
Walk in without an appointment. Open 24/7 during Code Blue.
Union Hall Drop-In Center
Free
Walk in without an appointment. Open 24/7 during Code Blue.
Warming bus at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
Free
A warming bus is parked by the Emergency Department entrance.
Warming bus at NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens
Free
A warming bus is parked by the Emergency Department entrance.
Project Hospitality Drop-In Center
Free
Walk in without an appointment. Open 24/7 during Code Blue. Within walking distance of the St. George Staten Island Ferry Terminal.
If you rent, the law requires your landlord to heat your apartment from October 1 to May 31 and to supply hot water all year.
Write to the landlord first
Tell the landlord or building manager that your apartment is cold or has no hot water. Do it in writing so there is a record.
Then file a complaint with 311
File on 311 Online (portal.311.nyc.gov; switch the site to Russian in the language menu at the top right), in the 311 app, by texting 311-692 or by calling 311 (say “Russian” and a free interpreter joins), anonymously if you prefer. The complaint goes to HPD, the City housing agency, which contacts the owner and sends an inspector if the heat is still off.
Minimum temperatures under the heat law
| Minimum | When it applies | |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime, 6 am–10 pm | 68°F (20°C) | October 1 to May 31, when it is below 55°F (13°C) outside |
| Night, 10 pm–6 am | 62°F (17°C) | October 1 to May 31 |
| Hot water | 120°F (49°C) | all year |
Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP): Regular HEAP Benefit
Free
A federally funded benefit that helps low-income renters and homeowners pay for heat. Applications for the 2026-2027 Regular HEAP Benefit are open from November 2, 2026; it is paid once per season. Eligibility depends on income, household size and heating source. Someone in the household must be a U.S. citizen or a "qualified non-citizen": under the federal 1996 welfare law that means green-card holders, people granted asylum (asylees), refugees, people granted withholding of removal (court protection from deportation), humanitarian parolees paroled for at least one year, Cuban and Haitian entrants and certain abused spouses and children. If your asylum case is still pending or you only have a temporary visa, you are not on that list; if unsure, ask a lawyer before you apply. Apply online on ACCESS HRA, in person at a HEAP office or by mail. On the HRA phone line, say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins.
HEAP offices (Benefits Access Centers)
Free
Seven HRA Benefits Access Centers take HEAP applications. Bronx: 300 Canal Place, 1st floor, and 1910 Monterey Ave, 3rd floor. Brooklyn: 1912 Mermaid Ave, 1st floor, and 275 Bergen Street, 1st floor. Manhattan: 109 East 16th Street, 8th floor. Queens: 32-20 Northern Blvd, 2nd floor. Staten Island: 201 Bay Street, 1st floor. On the HRA phone line, say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins.
How to apply for HEAP by mail
Free
Fax the completed HEAP application (LDSS 3421) to 917-639-2900 or mail it to Home Energy Assistance Program/HEAP, P.O. Box 1401, Church Street Station, New York, NY 10008. On the HRA phone line, say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins.
Heating Equipment Repair and Replacement (HERR) for homeowners
Free
If you own your home, HERR helps repair or replace a furnace, boiler or other main heating equipment: up to $4,000 for a repair and $8,000 for a replacement, once every ten years. The 2026-2027 benefit opened on October 1, 2026. On the HRA phone line, say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins.
Emergency HEAP Benefit
Free
For households whose heat, or the electricity their heating needs, is off or about to be shut off, or who have no fuel left. Applications for the 2026-2027 season open on January 4, 2027. On the HRA phone line, say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins.
WARM (Winter Access, Relief and Medical) mobile units
Free
During the March 2026 cold snap, the City added WARM ambulettes and mobile units through Saturday, March 14: doctors gave consultations, staff handed out blankets, warm clothing, socks, hot meals and water, and took unsheltered people to a shelter or warming center of their choice. To find out whether the units will be out this winter, ask on 311 Online (portal.311.nyc.gov) or text 311-692.
New York Cares Coat Drive
New York Cares, a volunteer organization, has collected and given out new and gently used coats for nearly 40 winters; its site has a map of drop-off locations. To get a coat for yourself, ask the organization that helps you, or 311.
Free things in Buy Nothing groups
Free
In Buy Nothing groups neighbors give things away for free, clothing included.
- Code Blue
- The cold-weather mode declared by the City's DSS and DHS: more than 50 hospitals plus DHS drop-in centers and shelters take in everyone.
- Enhanced Code Blue
- The stepped-up mode DSS activates when 32°F (0°C) or below is expected between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m., with more outreach teams on the streets.
- DSS, DHS, HRA
- The Department of Social Services (DSS) is the City department that includes the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), the shelter agency, and the Human Resources Administration (HRA), the benefits agency. Do not confuse DHS with the federal Department of Homeland Security.
- HPD
- The Department of Housing Preservation and Development: the City housing agency that gets 311 complaints about no heat or hot water.
- Qualified non-citizen
- A term from federal law: a person with certain immigration statuses, such as a green card, asylum or refugee status. It usually does not include people whose asylum case is only pending.
- ACCESS HRA
- The City's website and app where you apply for benefits, track them and upload documents.
- Warming center
- A heated place where you can go to warm up; during Code Blue such places include hospitals and drop-in centers.
- Drop-in center
- A place you can walk into without an appointment; DHS has such centers, and during Code Blue they are open 24/7.
- Outreach
- Teams that go out to find people on the street and help them reach a shelter or center.
- Wind chill
- How cold it feels in the wind; it can be much lower than the thermometer reading.
- HEAP
- Home Energy Assistance Program: a benefit that helps pay for heating; in New York City HRA takes applications.
- HRA
- Human Resources Administration: the City agency that issues benefits such as SNAP and help with heating costs.
- 311
- New York City's information line: open 24/7, with interpreters in 175 languages, Russian included.
This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sources, checked November 2026
- nyc.gov/site/em/about/press-releases/20260206-NYCEM-Issues-Wea…
- portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-03702
- on.nyc.gov/warmingcenters
- nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/03/mayor-mamdani-announces-rob…
- nyc.gov/site/hra/help/energy-assistance.page
- newyorkcares.org/coat-drive
- buynothingproject.org
- nyc.gov/site/hra/locations/home-energy-assistance-program.page