St. Paul prepares to close Pig’s Eye Park encampment after approving $1.08 million for shelter capacity

St. Paul is scheduled to close the Pig’s Eye Park encampment on August 5, the first planned closure in a broader city plan to close established encampments on a rolling basis. On July 22, the City Council authorized a $1.08 million transfer to Ramsey County to expand shelter capacity and services intended to support people staying at the site.

The closure remains planned, not completed. People staying at Pig’s Eye Park may need to relocate, seek shelter or reconnect with outreach and other services before or during the closure process.

What the city approved

The council authorization is intended to expand shelter bed capacity and strengthen supportive services ahead of the Pig’s Eye Park closure. The city’s announcement describes the transfer as part of a partnership with Ramsey County and says the funding is aimed at supporting people staying at the encampment.

City officials have described the broader transition plan as a response to health, safety and service concerns at encampment sites. Those are the city’s stated reasons for the action, not an independent finding established by this article.

The city says workers from the city, county and community partners have been meeting with people at the encampments to identify housing options, complete coordinated-entry applications, replace documents and arrange transportation. The city also says workers would be on site nearly every day before the closure.

Pig’s Eye is the first planned closure

The city announced July 8 that Pig’s Eye Park would be the first planned closure, followed by additional encampment closures on a rolling basis. The immediate focus is whether expanded shelter and service capacity will be available before August 5 and what options will remain for people who do not enter shelter.

The $1.08 million is intended to expand capacity and services. It is not a guarantee that every person at Pig’s Eye Park will receive shelter, permanent housing or a placement that meets individual needs.

Questions about available alternatives

Independent reporting by the Minnesota Star Tribune found that Ramsey County did not have enough emergency shelter beds to accommodate everyone living in an encampment. The report said openings were generally in the single digits and quoted County Manager Ling Becker saying there was often one shelter opening on a typical night.

The Star Tribune also reported that the city’s funding was expected to help open 49 additional beds at the Dorothy Day shelter in downtown St. Paul for encampment residents. That reported expansion would add capacity, but the coverage also noted that the number of people living in encampments appeared to exceed the available beds.

That gap has prompted questions from residents, activists and service providers about what will happen to people who cannot obtain shelter or do not accept an available option. Public comments submitted to the City Council included concerns that closure could displace people without an adequate alternative.

Outreach workers warn of disrupted connections

MPR News reported that some outreach workers fear the closures could fracture established aid networks. Their concern is that people who move or scatter may become harder for service providers to locate and may lose connections to medical care, outreach workers, meals, supplies and other assistance.

The City Council’s July 22 public-hearing record includes written opposition from residents, activists and people who work with the Pig’s Eye community. Those comments document public concerns about displacement and service disruption; they are not official findings about the plan’s eventual effects.

The immediate unresolved questions are how many shelter beds will be available, where people who do not enter shelter will go, and how outreach and health services will continue after the site closes. As of August 2, the next major date is the scheduled August 5 closure of Pig’s Eye Park.

Sources

• City of Saint Paul funding authorization
• Minnesota Star Tribune encampment report
• MPR News outreach report