Program Spotlight: Code Blue

Code Blue: More Than a Warm Place to Sleep 

When temperatures fall below freezing, having a safe place to spend the night can become a matter of life and death. 

For more than a decade, Shelters of Saratoga has operated Code Blue, a cold-weather emergency shelter program for people experiencing homelessness in Saratoga County. Operating throughout the winter months, Code Blue provides a safe, warm place to sleep—but at SOS, the program is about much more than getting through one cold night. 

What Is Code Blue? 

Code Blue is a cold-weather emergency response designed to protect people experiencing homelessness when winter temperatures become dangerous. 

New York State requires local social services districts to take necessary steps to ensure people experiencing homelessness have access to shelter during Code Blue conditions. Under current state regulations, Code Blue is automatically in effect when the temperature or wind chill reaches 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below. The statewide requirements grew out of Executive Order 151, issued by Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2016 in response to the dangers severe winter weather poses to people without shelter. 

Shelters of Saratoga’s involvement predates the statewide mandate. SOS has operated Code Blue since 2013, following the 2012 death of Nancy Pitts, a local woman experiencing homelessness who died from exposure to the cold. 

That tragedy brought attention to a simple but urgent need in our community: no one should be left without a safe place to go when temperatures become life-threatening. 

What Does “Low-Barrier” Mean? 

SOS’s Code Blue program is a low-barrier shelter, meaning the goal is to remove unnecessary obstacles that could prevent someone from getting out of dangerous winter weather. 

At SOS, guests do not need to be sober to stay at Code Blue. However, drugs and alcohol cannot be brought onto or consumed on the property. 

Low-barrier does not mean there are no expectations or rules. It means that someone struggling with substance use, lacking documentation, or facing other challenges is not automatically excluded from accessing a safe place to sleep simply because their life is not yet stable. 

For Code Blue, safety comes first. Once someone is inside, there is an opportunity to build trust and begin a conversation about what comes next. 

More Than a Place to Sleep 

A warm building is essential, but SOS has intentionally built its Code Blue program to offer more. 

Guests have a cot rather than sleep on the floor. Dinner is provided each night, often with the support of local businesses, organizations, and community members. At times, Natalie Maxwell, Code Blue Program Manager, and her staff cook breakfast for guests, and leftover food can help provide another meal during the day. 

On a busy winter night, SOS may provide dinner and shelter for approximately 75 people. 

“We basically give them a safe and warm place to sleep and a meal to eat each night,” Natalie explained. 

But the work doesn’t end there. 

For guests who want additional support, SOS staff can sit down with them to talk about housing, benefits, health care, and other services. Some guests may transition into SOS’s year-round Emergency Shelter or, when appropriate units are available, its 16-unit Supportive Housing program. 

That connection to additional services is one of the things that makes SOS’s approach to Code Blue different. 

“My first Code Blue season, I housed about 30 people,” Natalie recalls. “They went straight into their own housing. Sometimes, if I know they’ll do well at the Emergency Shelter, I’ll send people over. But it really depends on the situation and the person.” 

There is no single path out of homelessness, so the response cannot be one-size-fits-all. 

A Continuum of Support 

Code Blue works alongside SOS’s other programs and community partners to create a continuum of services for Saratoga County residents experiencing homelessness. 

For some people, the first connection happens through SOS’s Outreach Program. Outreach staff meet people where they are—on streets, in motels, and at known gathering locations—providing food, water, hygiene products, and other necessities while building relationships and trust. 

Those relationships can become a bridge to shelter, health care, benefits, care management, and other services. 

SOS’s Emergency Shelter provides year-round, admission-based shelter for individuals who benefit from a sober, structured environment. Guests receive individualized case management and assistance addressing barriers to permanent housing. 

SOS also operates Supportive Housing, where eligible tenants can receive continued stabilization and case management while living more independently. 

Someone’s journey might begin with an outreach worker handing them a bottle of water. It might begin when law enforcement or the Department of Social Services brings them to Code Blue on a freezing night. Or it might begin with someone simply walking through the door and asking for help. 

The important part is having somewhere for that journey to begin. 

Who Comes to Code Blue? 

There is no single picture of what homelessness looks like. 

SOS sees more men than women at Code Blue, with the majority of guests being middle-aged and some older folks as well. Some people return season after season. 

For some, Code Blue has become one of the few places where they feel safe. 

Many guests are estranged from their families or have no family at all. Over time, relationships with staff can become deeply meaningful. 

“They call us their family,” says Natalie.  

And homelessness does not necessarily mean unemployment. 

Many people who arrive at Code Blue are working. They may have experienced a job loss, unexpected expense, relationship breakdown, or another crisis. Others are earning an income but still cannot find housing they can afford in the area. 

“You never know when you’re going to fall off,” Natalie shared. “I never thought in a million years I was gonna be homeless, and I was.” 

Meeting People Where They Are 

Code Blue is intended to serve Saratoga County residents. When someone arrives from another county, SOS works to connect them with services in their home county and, when it is safe and feasible, assists them in returning there. If someone arrives late at night when transportation is not possible, they can remain safe overnight while staff help determine the appropriate next step the following morning. 

For those who are eligible for SOS services and want additional help, staff are ready to begin working with them. 

That help may look different for every person. 

One individual may need assistance finding an apartment. Another may need mental health or substance use treatment. Someone else may need identification documents, benefits, transportation, or simply a person willing to listen. 

The barriers that lead to and prolong homelessness are complex, and accessible mental health services, affordable housing, and other community resources all play an important role in creating long-term solutions. 

Building a Permanent Home for Code Blue 

For more than a decade, Shelters of Saratoga has operated Code Blue from seven temporary locations throughout Saratoga Springs. Each move meant adapting another temporary space to meet the needs of our guests and staff—all while knowing we would eventually have to move again. 

Now, for the first time, Code Blue is getting a permanent home. 

SOS is building a new 75-bed, purpose-built Code Blue shelter at 96 Ballston Avenue in Saratoga Springs. The location is central to essential services and accessible by public transportation, helping guests remain connected to the resources they need. 

The new shelter is scheduled to open in November 2027 and will provide something Code Blue has never had: stability. 

A permanent facility means no more searching for a temporary location each season. It means a space intentionally designed around the realities of operating a low-barrier winter shelter and serving dozens of people each night. Most importantly, it means our community can know that when temperatures become dangerous, there will be a permanent place for our neighbors to find safety. 

To make that vision possible, SOS launched Blue, the Color of Hope, an $8 million capital campaign to fund the design and construction of the new shelter. 

The campaign is about more than constructing a building. It is about creating a lasting community resource and ensuring Code Blue can continue to provide warmth, dignity, and a connection to services for years to come. 

The need is immediate. The new shelter is scheduled to open in November 2027, but reaching that milestone depends on securing the remaining campaign funding now. 

Every gift brings us closer to opening the doors of a permanent Code Blue shelter—and ensuring that another winter does not arrive without a lasting solution in place. 

See Code Blue for Yourself 

Homelessness is easy to judge from a distance. It becomes much harder to reduce someone to a stereotype after sitting across from them at dinner, hearing their story, or learning how quickly their circumstances changed. 

That is why one of the simplest ways to understand Code Blue is to experience the program firsthand. 

“Come see what Code Blue is like before making judgments. Volunteer, help out, see what it’s about.” 

Behind every bed is a person with a history, relationships, setbacks, strengths, and hopes for what comes next. 

Some will spend one night with us. Others will return throughout the winter. Some will eventually enter the Emergency Shelter, connect with another community resource, or receive the keys to a home of their own. 

Every one of them deserves warmth, safety, and dignity. 

Because at Shelters of Saratoga, Code Blue isn’t only about surviving the cold. 

It’s about making sure that when someone is ready to take the next step, there is a path forward. 

 

For additional information on our Capital Campaign, please visit codebluesaratoga.org