The city of St. Paul will begin clearing a longstanding homeless encampment at Pig’s Eye Park Wednesday morning, despite weeks of pushback from residents, volunteers and service providers at the camp who warn it will fracture community and ongoing care for people who are trying to survive.
An estimated 100-200 people were living at the camp, also known as Fish Hatchery, when the Mayor’s Office announced the closure last month, citing worsening health and safety concerns.
In the weeks leading up to the closure, outreach workers from the city and county were tasked with expanding efforts to connect people to shelter and eliminate barriers to housing, including replacing necessary documents — though there’s still a lengthy housing wait list and many residents feel unsafe at shelters or do not want to part with their pet or belongings…