St. Paul homeless encampment closures start Aug. 5: Here’s what to expect
St. Paul encampment clearings incoming
A new push to clear St. Paul homeless encampments has some of the city’s social service organizations scrambling to adjust and ready resources.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Paul is set to begin clearing homeless encampments next week, launching a coordinated effort with Ramsey County and local service providers to address health and safety concerns.
St. Paul closing encampments
What we know:
City officials say that the first in a series of potential encampment closures will take place at Pig’s Eye Park on Aug. 5, with additional sites closing "on a rolling basis," according to a press release. The decision comes after a comprehensive review by multiple city departments, citing concerns about the health, safety, and dignity of people staying at the camps, officials have said.
St. Paul Police and Fire Departments have reported more than 800 calls for service to camps since July of last year, according to a presentation to the city council. The city estimates about 200 people currently live in the encampments that are set to be cleared.
Dig deeper:
A press release sent on Friday says that St. Paul is investing $1 million to help Ramsey County open more overnight shelter beds and expand case management services, including 49 new emergency shelter beds at Catholic Charities and support for additional beds and services at facilities across the city.
Overnight shelter beds are often available and unused each night, while permanent housing options require a longer referral process and may involve waitlists, officials have noted.
City and county officials say they are working to reduce barriers to shelter, such as extending check-in times to 10 p.m., offering temporary storage for belongings, helping people replace identification documents and assisting with resolving warrants.
St. Paul’s Homeless Assistance Response Team (HART), Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES), and Familiar Faces teams say they intend to work directly with those in the encampments that will be cleared.
Outreach groups warn against St. Paul encampment closures
The City of St. Paul is planning on closing down some of its biggest homeless encampments. But outreach groups warn it would just make things worse. FOX 9's Emily Pofahl has more.
Big picture view:
Data from Ramsey County shows 300 people used night-by-night shelters in the last month, while the county has more than 500 shelter beds, but does not publicly track how many are available at any given time.
Planning for the encampment closures has involved ongoing collaboration between city departments, the city council, Ramsey County, and service providers to expand shelter capacity and strengthen case management.
The city says outreach will continue after the encampments close, with teams like HART and Familiar Faces staying engaged in the community.
The other side:
Despite the efforts, Stop the Sweeps, a coalition of concerned citizens, has called on the city to stop clearing encampments.
The group wants the city to "create a committee focused on solutions that empower people experiencing homelessness, end the policy of making all encampments illegal, and only close camps if residents agree it’s in everyone’s best interest."
Stop the Sweeps also demands the city and county stop removing storage tents and abandoned tents.
The Source: Information provided by the City of St. Paul and previous FOX 9 reporting.