Activists pitched tents and distributed food outside Second Avenue Commons shelter last night to support unhoused people camping there ahead of a publicized clearing.
The demonstration led by Our Streets Collective followed a Housing Advisory Board [HAB] meeting July 29, where outreach workers expressed frustration with a growing list of encampment closures. “We are responding in a crisis with something that is not meant to be a long-term fix or resolution. It’s continued displacement,” Calla Kaineroi, executive director of Bridge to the Mountains, said during the meeting.
In a statement, the Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services [ACDHS] said the clearing was necessary to ensure residents of Second Avenue Commons can safely access the building, which includes an engagement center, medical clinic and single-room occupancy units.
“Every person staying outside has been offered shelter,” said the statement, co-authored by Second Avenue Commons. A temporary shelter was opened in the basement of Second Avenue Commons on Thursday evening, and will remain open for several days “until people affected by this change have transitioned to other options,” said Allegheny County DHS in an email to Public Source. Twelve people stayed in the temporary shelter on Thursday night, the department added.
DHS helped relocate 15 people from the encampment during the week beginning Aug. 4, according to the statement…