The closure of a sprawling St. Paul homeless encampment in Pig's Eye Park is underway on Wednesday morning.
This is the first of three permanent closures under Mayor Kaohly Her's coordinated transition plan. The city says it will better support people living in encampments shift to safer, more stable housing.
Among those gathered at the site is state Rep. Leigh Finke, who seemed to be directing traffic with the number of cars that are coming in and out of the makeshift gateway into the encampment.
WCCO's Mark Freie has been told by city officials only around 40 people still remained at the encampment as city teams are reaching out to them, trying to provide resources and outlets to get out of the encampment.
Finke says one of her main concerns is that a lot of these individuals aren't actually going to shelters or beds in the city, and instead they're just going to end up at one of the tree other encampments that have popped up across the city of St. Paul.
"There were not enough beds," Finke says. "When we say beds, we mean shelters, and shelters aren't really a solution to encampment clearings. People who are living outside, often choosing to live outside, they're moving a lot of people to another encampment, and this is a traumatic experience. People have lived here for, some of them for years, being kicked out of their homes, knowing that the next place they move it will just happen again. We need more shelter beds, but we need more housing."
That is making this a sort of "whack-a-mole" situation for the city, as they are planning to still shutdown other encampments on a rolling basis.
That effort by Mayor Her's office is hoping to connect the unhoused with services "well before the onset of winter."
Finke said that needs to continue to be addressed and with this encampment clearing Wednesday, it is unlikely to be addressed. Finke adds it'll be something they'll keep looking at in the state legislature early next year when they get back into session.
The city approved a nearly $1.1 million transfer to Ramsey County ahead of time to expand shelter bed capacity.
Wednesday's approach by St. Paul was intended to follow the "Four E's" — engagement, education, encouragement, and enforcement. They say enforcement only comes as a final step. Finke said so far, that's what she has seen.
"We've talked to the city multiple times about just staying on the other side, as long as this is working and people are moving, please don't bring police in," Finke explains. "Don't escalate, and they have agreed to that. So, for the time being, it's working and people are moving. It's efficient, and we're just trying to keep that operating and keep people safe."
Starting Thursday, a Transitional Hub will open in downtown St. Paul to connect encampment residents with shelter, housing, health care, financial assistance, and other resources.
The closure of a sprawling St. Paul homeless encampment in Pig's Eye Park is underway on Wednesday. WCCO's @MarkFreie is reporting live from the scene as the city begins moving residents out of the area. We'll have the latest coming up at 10am with Mark and @gracie_stockton: pic.twitter.com/vJMI72Fj1r
— News Talk 830 WCCO (@wccoradio) August 5, 2026
