St. Paul officials say they need to rethink strategy before closing more homeless encampments

Contaminated soil, stillborn births and booby traps. That's just the start of the list of concerns since St. Paul, Minnesota, cleared the Pig's Eye encampment.

Assistant Mayor Cedrick Baker says just seven people who lived at the Pig's Eye encampment utilized the expanded shelter space made available with city and county funds. He said 28 people are on the active referral list for housing.

The remaining 100 or so picked up their belongings and moved to the Randolph encampment.

"I'd like to understand what we can do differently and what can we do a better job of connecting people to resources," said Saura Jost.

Baker says about 150 people now call the Randolph encampment home.

He hoped more would have taken advantage of new shelter beds and wraparound services offered to get them to secure housing and resources.

"The reason that we did not want individuals out there is because we have reports that says that the soil is contaminated. This is a very wooded area, we have issues of getting in and out," said Baker.

Issues they came face to face with days ago.

"Recently we had a birth at the site. It was a stillborn. Fire can attest to it, they tried to and they did get out there but they had to get into a side-by-side gator because their trucks and their vehicles could not reach the person," Baker said.

Baker believes a lot more engagement needs to happen to make sure those living at the Randolph encampment get access to resources.

He says activists who come to the site are making that hard to do for city and county employees.

"You got things where it almost feels like tactical gorilla welfare that is happening on the site, they are planting booby traps for people to step in and get hurt and so our people are going in trying to support individuals that are out there and they are met with this type of resistance," Baker said.

No date is set for future encampment closure.