Advocate for Minneapolis homeless community calls encampment closures "terrifying"

MINNEAPOLIS — There is an active effort in Minneapolis this week to close down homeless encampments after two people were killed and two others were shot at or near encampments in the city last week .

Mayor Jacob Frey promised to "expedite" the clearing process.

"The recognition is we need to be closing these as quickly as possible because we've seen the impact," Frey said.

But it appears city leaders aren't seeing eye to eye with advocates. Activist Nicole Mason says the city's promise to evict is a promise kept.

"It's been terrifying. Terrifying for the people. Terrifying for us," Mason said. "There's nowhere to take them. There's nowhere for them to go. They're just stuck out here."

She's struggling to find places for people to go, or struggling to find the people at all.

"When we had the encampment, at least we had eyes on our girls," Mason said. "And now we don't know where a lot of our girls are at. And they can be trafficked, they might have been kidnapped."

Even the most dedicated experts says it's a tricky situation.

"There are no simple answers to housing instability, and to unsheltered homelessness," said Steve Horsfield of Simpson Housing. "If there was an easy answer to that question, we would be doing it."

Horsfield says there are dozens of shelter beds available, but a number of issues could keep people out.

It's not just the mayor. Police and regulatory services are in agreement that encampments cannot go on.

"We're definitely a city that's in crisis in a lot of different ways," said Enrique Velazquez, Minneapolis' director of regulatory services. "Encampments, period, are not a dignified form of housing. We maintain a minimum housing code for a reason that sets the stage for success. It sets the stage for livibility, for safety, for life safety. It's the foundation. It's the bedrock for people to grow from there. Encampments aren't it."

The city says it costs taxpayers anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 to clear an encampment. However, it costs signficantly more for the city to provide services to keep them open.