St. Paul City Council united behind pausing homeless encampment evictions

Every member of the St. Paul City Council supports pausing homeless encampment evictions in favor of a three-step process to help people sleeping outside.

The council can't make the pause happen on its own. Council member Cheniqua Johnson says the only person who can stop the closure of encampments is Mayor Kaohly Her.

The first step is a navigation tent within 60 days, a "one-stop shop" for people who want shelter and housing, along with wraparound services, Johnson said. The plan then calls for a low-barrier shelter, followed by a more permanent low-barrier option. Council members also envision a partnership among the city, state and county to create housing for people who want it.

The permanent option would be tiny houses like those in Minneapolis and St. Cloud, staffed and secured around the clock by the nonprofit Avivo.

How many tiny houses St. Paul would build, and where, is not settled. Johnson said the city doesn't have a large enough piece of land to copy what Minneapolis has done, but that doesn't mean it doesn't already own something that would work. She said the council wants to work with the administration to identify sites.

Johnson called the tiny houses an idea, but said the council is committed to supporting the funding and "actually committed to doing the work to find the partnerships for it." No cost has been given.

St. Paul is looking to other cities for a model. Johnson pointed to Denver, where she said Mayor Mike Johnston has cut the homeless population by almost 45%. She said that didn't happen overnight, and that it takes bringing people in and having a housing unit for each person who needs one.

Johnson asked people who want to get involved to write the mayor and ask her to join the City Council in the three-step process.