St. Paul council members pass three part plan to combat homelessness
When St. Paul, Minnesota, cleared the city's largest homeless encampment at Pig's Eye Park this summer, officials cited serious safety concerns, including fires, sexual assaults and fatal drug overdoses.
But the closure did not end homelessness. Instead, it shifted it.
More than 400 people are now living in an encampment along Shepard Road, where the population has surged since the Pig's Eye closure.
St. Paul City Council members say they don't think shuffling around homeless camp residents is a solution.
"Instead of a plan that connected neighbors to housing, we've been told to fear our neighbors who've turned to living in tents because they cannot afford their homes," Council Member Hwa Jeong Kim said.
Residents living near the Shepard Road encampment say they've noticed the increase in activity in the area since August.
One resident who lives in the apartments nearby told WCCO that incidents, including fires, have become more common. He also said thieves stole the wheels from his vehicle a few days ago.
With winter approaching, the St. Paul City Council has approved a new approach to managing homeless encampments.
The plan includes a 60-day outreach period before an encampment can be closed, unless there is an immediate threat to public safety. It also calls for a temporary indoor shelter for six months this winter, and development of a permanent shelter modeled after Avivo Village in Minneapolis.
"We must expand access to shelter, examine city policies that displace families and take full responsibility for what happens after we tell someone to leave," Council Member Anika Bowie said.
A legislative aide to Kim said the temporary shelter and efforts to connect people with housing alone could cost more than $2 million. The city would need financial support from county and state partners to make the plan a reality.
Whether people living outdoors will accept those options remains an open question.
"You've got people that are homeless, people that are mentally ill," said Michael, who lives at the Shepard Road camp. "You've got all kinds of issues from people being out here. It's not just one group. It's a bunch of different groups, and at least if you're out here or somewhere like this, you can separate yourself a little bit."
A spokesperson for Mayor Kaohly Her shared this statement:
"We share the goal of moving people from encampments into safe and stable housing. Our administration is looking into the viability and affordability of these proposals. Every spending choice we make comes at the expense of other priorities and essential services our residents depend on. We continue to plan for the coordinated transition of the encampments at Randolph and l'Orient, with outreach teams connecting each individual at the encampment to shelter, housing, and services. I remain committed to bringing all levels of government and partners to the table to address this systemic problem."
