St. Paul has started clearing its largest homeless encampment, located at Pig’s Eye Regional Park, due to safety concerns. The city plans to close other encampments, but details on when those sweeps will take place have not been released.

Uncertainty for Residents

The Pig’s Eye encampment has approximately 140 residents, although community organizers estimate the population could be higher, potentially exceeding 200 residents. The city has said that the encampments must close due to safety concerns, citing over 100 incidents in the past year, including medical emergencies, fires, and assaults.

Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul, emphasized that emergency shelter beds are not a solution to encampments, and without more long-term housing options, people will continue to face homelessness. Some shelters in the city are already near capacity, and they do not believe there are enough beds to accommodate all encampment residents.

The city allocated over $1 million to Ramsey County for additional shelter beds, which will open up 49 beds at Catholic Charities Higher Ground shelter. However, some camp residents may not feel comfortable going to an emergency shelter due to various reasons, such as having a partner or pet they don’t want to be separated from.

Residents of the encampment are uncertain about their next steps, with some planning to move to another encampment in the city. The city’s decision to clear the encampment has drawn scrutiny from community members and elected officials, who express concern that camp residents have nowhere else to go.

Original reporting: Sahan Journal — read the source article.