Overview
- The city began tent-to-tent clearing of Pig's Eye Park on Wednesday, August 5, directing a first-phase cleanup and remediation of the site.
- Ramsey County and St. Paul opened a downtown transitional hub and deployed outreach teams while the city committed $1 million to expand shelter capacity for people displaced by the closure.
- Service providers reported added beds, including nearly 300 at Catholic Charities' Higher Ground, but staff said many people declined shelters because of past shelter experiences, partner and pet separation, ID needs, and trust barriers.
- Outreach teams and volunteers said roughly half of former Pig's Eye residents moved to a rapidly growing encampment under the Randolph Avenue Bridge, illustrating the short-term displacement pattern city critics warned about.
- Public pushback continued after weeks of hearings with hundreds of comments and faith-leader letters, while city leaders say this first closure will be followed by phased, rolling actions to restore sites and offer paths to housing.