The City of St. Paul announced it will begin closing homeless encampments throughout the city with the help of Ramsey County. According to the city, safety concerns associated with the encampments are the primary reason for the closures.
“Every person deserves dignity and a path to housing and support services,” Assistant Mayor Cedrick Baker said in a press release. “ The conditions at these sites are not safe, healthy, or humane.”
City documents say the impending closures will not be “a one-time clearance.” Instead, the city described its closure plan as “a sustained, service-centered effort” and “a coordinated transition plan of unsheltered homeless encampments.”
According to the city, an encampment near Pig’s Eye Park and a state fish hatchery facility will be the first encampment to close on Aug. 5. Alpha News previously reported on this encampment and its impact on the community in June.
Two people who work at a restaurant near this encampment told Alpha News they have witnessed multiple people, who appear to be on drugs, harass the restaurant’s employees and cause problems on the property.
“It’s like the Walking Dead,” one of them told Alpha News. “It’s completely insane.”
Additionally, Alpha News reported on another St. Paul encampment in the woods near Waterford Bay Apartments. One resident told Alpha News he had been woken by screams coming from the encampment and noted that the encampment had grown in recent years.
According to a press release from last week, St. Paul said the decision to shutter the encampments came after “the city conducted a comprehensive assessment of encampment conditions and found significant public health and safety concerns requiring action.”
Elaborating, the city said, “reports documented serious incidents including fires, sexual assaults, thefts, two overdose-related deaths, and other emergencies that put occupants and surrounding communities at risk. In the best interest of safety and stability, the City made the decision to close the encampments.”
In a news bulletin published Friday, St. Paul also noted that “critical fire safety risks” exist at encampment sites such as “open flame and propane use near highly-flammable tents.” The city said fire extinguishers and flowing water are not available at encampment sites.
“Cold weather drives greater reliance on open flame for heat — compounding the risk precisely when residents are most exposed,” the city wrote. “Closing encampments now, well before the onset of winter, will help individuals connect with shelter, housing and supportive services before colder weather.”
After the fish hatchery encampment closes on Aug. 5, the rest of the encampments will close “in sequence.” Earlier this week, the city unveiled a multi-stage process to complete the encampment closures.
First, the city will identify resources, such as treatment, housing, and other services, for individuals transitioning out of encampments. Next, the city will being to “engage with individuals staying at encampments several weeks before transition begins.”
Eventually, the city, and its partner agencies, will transition people out of encampments while “addressing any immediate health and safety needs” and begin tearing down the encampments after everyone has been moved out.
Finally, the city says it will restore any public areas that were previously used as homeless encampments and continue to connect homeless people with resources they need.
“No matter how we address this issue, which is one of the most significant challenges facing communities across our country, we recognize there will be disruption,” St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her said in a statement. “My sincere intent is to minimize that impact while connecting individuals to a safer, more stable life.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
