Residents of St. Paul are watching the Randolph Avenue encampment swell after the city cleared the nearby Pig’s Eye Park site in early August. City officials estimate roughly 150 people now live in the wooded area near Shepard Road, though mutual‑aid volunteers believe the number exceeds 200.
City response and resources
Mayor Kaohly Her told a September 8 forum that the city has set aside about $1 million for Ramsey County to fund 49 additional emergency‑shelter beds at Catholic Charities’ Higher Ground shelter. The Higher Ground facility is already operating at 77‑88 % occupancy, and other shelters such as Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities and Model Cities Safe Space report similarly high demand.
Assistant Mayor Cedrick Baker, speaking at a City Council Public Safety Committee meeting on Aug. 26, called the Randolph site “unstable” and pledged the city will “do everything we can to support the individuals in leaving and getting into shelter.” He noted that only seven former Pig’s Eye residents have accepted emergency shelter, a figure the city views as falling short of its goals.
Community concerns
Local organizers, including Rising Waters Mutual Aid co‑founder Kat Hunter, argue that repeated relocations are not a solution. “Moving them again is not the solution because then we’re trapped in a worse system,” Hunter said, emphasizing that many encampment residents avoid shelters due to past negative experiences, pet restrictions, or strict substance‑use policies.
Council Member Anika Bowie criticized the timing of the $1 million shelter‑bed allocation, saying it arrived only a week before the Pig’s Eye closure and that the city lacked a comprehensive inventory of resources and staff to measure success.
Resident perspectives
Encampment residents such as Kevin, who moved his belongings from Pig’s Eye to Randolph, describe the situation as “terrible” and “worse” than before. He expressed uncertainty about where he will go if the camp is closed, noting that he has previously stayed in crowded emergency shelters and does not feel safe there.
Another resident, Jemma, warned that closing the remaining encampments before winter could scatter people and cut them off from support networks, adding, “People will die.”
City’s next steps
St. Paul has not yet announced a specific timeline for closing the Randolph or the L’Orient Street encampments. County spokesperson Casper Hill reported that at least ten of the newly added shelter beds have been used since the Pig’s Eye closure, and another 20 people have secured housing placements.
Catholic Charities’ chief program officer Keith Kozerski said the organization will soon begin outreach at Randolph to discuss available services. He noted a 40 % increase in people seeking assistance in the week after the Pig’s Eye camp was cleared.
City officials continue to balance the urgent need for safe housing with the desire to avoid displacing residents without adequate alternatives. As winter approaches, the focus remains on expanding shelter capacity, improving outreach, and communicating clear timelines to the community.
Original reporting: Sahan Journal — read the source article.
