New York Today: Seeking the Homeless

Spencer Platt/Getty Images Helping those in need.

Good ice-cold Friday to you. It is 10 degrees with a wind chill of minus 2.

And more snow is coming.

This winter has been one of the 20 coldest on record in New York City, and there are many people without homes.

On Tuesday, the city updated its count of the homeless in shelters: 52,261 (29,747 adults and 22,514 children).

And, at last count, the number of homeless people on the streets and subways was 3,180, officials said.

The annual, four-weekend program, “Don’t Walk By,” which ends this weekend, sends volunteers to walk every block of Manhattan, engaging the homeless.

Those who want a hot meal are shuttled by van to a church, where they can meet with social workers and medical professionals.

In the last three weekends, volunteers talked to 652 homeless people; 477 agreed to a meal.

“For folks on the street, this has been one of the toughest winters in memory,” said James Winans, of the Bowery Mission, one of five organizations behind the walk.

Many days this winter, the mission has hosted as many as 300 people for meals and 200 overnight.

“We’ve never seen numbers like that,” Mr. Winans said. “After Sandy we had 160 staying overnight, and we thought that was a lot.”

Here’s what else you need to know for Friday and the weekend.

WEATHER

Penetrating, head-down cold. High of 18, with wind chills in the single digits and ample, pointless sunshine.

A day of respite tomorrow, with a high of 35 (only 10 degrees below normal).

Then: snow, Sunday into Monday, potentially eight inches or more.

COMMUTE

Subways: Delays on southbound 2 and 3. Check latest status.

Rails: L.I.R.R. Montauk Branch suspended between Patchogue and Babylon. Check L.I.R.R., Metro-North or N.J. Transit status.

Roads: Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s or the 8s.

Alternate-side parking is in effect.

Weekend Travel Hassles: Check subway disruptions or list of street closings.

COMING UP TODAY

- The City Council takes up a proposal to hang a historical sign on Wall Street at the site of an 18th-century slave market. 10 a.m.

- Mayor de Blasio speaks at the police promotion ceremony at 11 a.m.

- Students in East Harlem release balloons at 2:30 p.m. on the second anniversary of the death of a first grader hit by a truck on his way to school.

- Theater on skates at Bryant Park: “Fire & Ice: The Rise & Fall of the Norse Gods,” with the Frozen Feet Theater. 1 p.m. [Free]

- A nighttime gallery tour of Bushwick, “Beat Nite,” followed by a big after-party. 6 p.m. onward. [Free]

-”Blacks in Experimental Film” features clips and shorts going back to 1914, at Maysles Cinema in Harlem. 8 p.m. [$10]

- For more events, see The New York Times Arts & Entertainment guide.

IN THE NEWS

- A Roman sculpture of a reclining woman, stored in a Queens warehouse, may have been looted from Italy decades ago. Federal agents are seizing it. [New York Times]

- Before the George Washington Bridge lane closings, aides to Gov. Chris Christie joked about causing traffic jams in front of the home of a prominent rabbi. [New York Times]

- The mayor may be boycotting, but Police Commissioner William Bratton plans to march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. [Daily News]

- Threats of a school shooting made on social media prompted heightened security at three Brooklyn high schools. [PIX 11 News]

- Mayor de Blasio moved to stop three charter schools from moving into public school buildings. [New York Times]

- Scoreboard: Heat scorch Knicks, 108-82. Nets crush Nuggets, 112-89. Hockey returns: Rangers top Blackhawks, 2-1. Devils over Blue Jackets, 5-2. Islanders beat Maple Leafs in overtime, 5-4.

Joseph Burgess contributed reporting.

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