A look inside St. Paul’s largest encampment to be cleared next month

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The City of St. Paul announced it will begin clearing homeless encampments next month, citing health and safety concerns.

Volunteers at the encampment at Pig’s Eye Park in St. Paul say they hope the people are provided solutions that match their needs.

Growing concerns

The backstory:

Volunteers who have regularly served people who are experiencing homelessness at Pig’s Eye Park in St. Paul say the encampment has grown even larger over the past several months. They estimate more than 100 people are currently staying there at any given time.

The City of St. Paul announced plans to close the encampments citing an assessment that found significant public health and safety concerns. The city points to the need to address documented incidents and risks including fires, sexual assaults, thefts, two overdose-related deaths, and other emergencies.

What they're saying:

St. Paul leaders released statements about the plans to close encampments across the city.

"Every person deserves dignity and a path to housing and support services. The conditions at these sites are not safe, healthy, or humane," said Cedrick Baker, Assistant St. Paul Mayor, People and Neighborhood Vitality, leader of the City of Saint Paul’s Unsheltered Response. "None of us would want our loved ones living in those conditions. This is a difficult decision, but leaving people in crisis without intervention is not compassion. We are choosing action that protects people experiencing homelessness and the broader community."  

"I commend the thoughtfulness and compassion our team has brought to centering the human impact of closures since this internal task force launched at the beginning of the year," said St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her. "No matter how we address this issue, which is one of the most significant challenges facing communities across our country, there will be disruption. My sincere intent is that the plan we are announcing today will minimize that impact while helping connect individuals to a safer, more stable life."

The city says the task force has been planning a coordinated effort with Ramsey County and community partners to connect people with resources. Plans will include regular visits before closing a site.

 A look inside

Local perspective:

A group of volunteers who have been serving people at the encampment at Pig’s Eye Park for years say the needs are complex.

"Our two big obstacles here are both addiction and mental health, and by just pushing them away and not addressing those issues is just creating bigger problems," said Marie Fitch, a volunteer.

For many helpers, their mission is personal.

"Usually, we’ll go through the camp and check in with the tents that we know and love and know their stories. You’ll see some gardens starting. Some people have chickens. A lot of pets and animals around here," said Kelly Rashaw, a volunteer. "My daughter’s best friend from kindergarten lives here. We ran into each other here. I was volunteering up front handing out clothes."

"I’m a St. Paul native, so these are people of our community, why wouldn’t I come out and help. We do BBQs. Today, we did ice cream and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and oranges and things like that. So, it’s just making sure they have water," said Fred Rashaw, a volunteer.

Volunteers say even with advance notice, they worry about what will happen to the people. The helpers who know this community well say they hope solutions will meet each individual where they are at.

"It’s this cycle. But how are you going to break this cycle if it’s just getting them out of here? They are just going to go somewhere else," said Kelly.

What's next:

The city says the closures will begin at Pig’s Eye Park on Aug. 5, followed by other encampments across the city on a rolling basis.