Australia and California were not the only places to find surfing Santas in 2015. New York City had the warmest recorded Christmas in history last year. At noon on Christmas day in Central Park the temperature reached 72 degrees, breaking the past record of 63 degrees from 1996.

But after an unusually warm start, temperatures finally began to drop.

The current cold front in New York has brought more than just winter coats out. New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed an executive order on Sunday, January 3rd requiring local governments to place all homeless persons in shelters when temperatures fall below freezing, (32 degrees fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius).

Today I called into @1010WINS to discuss the Executive Order to protect homeless people from freezing temps. Listen: https://t.co/W2uXk0oc9s

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 3, 2016

Gov. Cuomo says the state will provide support to local governments who need help accommodating people in shelters.

According Gov. Cuomo, the act to provide shelter for homeless citizens who are at risk for hypothermia, among other serious injuries is “about love. It’s about compassion. It’s about helping one another and basic human decency.”

However well intentioned the act of providing shelter for all, the statement from Cuomo to “use force” to do so has stirred up some concern.

Previously New York would offer supplies like blankets, hand warmers, clothings items, and other supplies to homeless people who refused to travel to the shelters, which are sometimes far away and often in poor condition.

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio’s corporation counsel, according to the New York Times, said that the order to use force to place homeless persons in shelters would need to be a passed state law for it to be functional.

Some commentators wonder if this decree violates basic American ideals of freedom. Should people be forced into shelters during freezing temperatures to protect them from the potentially fatal consequences of the cold? Or should they be allowed to sleep outside? This is an especially pressing concern in the US, where homelessness is a growing issue. 600,000 people are homeless in the US, and last year Hawaii declared a state of emergency to address the issue of homelessness in the state.

What this plan should focus on is improving the conditions and locations of homeless shelters, so the homeless can attempt to regain their footing in life. If Gov. Cuomo and the state of New York can provide resources to make shelters safer for all then the good intentions behind this order are possible.

Poverty is a major reason for homelessness and displacement of people all over the world. Taking steps to tackle and eradicate poverty can lead to a better world where no person has to confront the fear of freezing to death or entering an unsafe place.

Improved access to healthcare and education and finding ways to improve the global economy can help tackle both poverty and homelessness. Providing quality shelter and building better infrastructure are both solutions to these issues. For now, citizens of New York can hope this act does provide more resources to meet the needs of homeless individuals from the new year’s fast approaching freezing temperatures.

There are larger solutions to ending homelessness, and you can find them in the Global Goals. You can also decide how you will welcome the Global Goals as your New Year's resolution this year by going to TAKE ACTION NOW.