Local organizations that provide homeless services are preparing to ramp up their activity as the city plans to close a homeless encampment along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.
Ben Talik, program manager with the Pittsburgh Office of Community Health and Safety’s Reaching Out On The Streets (ROOTS) program, confirmed that signs were posted last week announcing the closure of the North Side site. The signs notify occupants in the camp that they must leave, taking their belongings with them, by Dec. 15.
“I think our goal would be to try to have everybody out of there before the city comes in and just clears it out,” Talik said. He said his team has already helped get “several people in shelter,” and is “hoping to move people into a safer spot that’s not already been posted, or try to get them into shelter, so hopefully, there won’t be any work for the city to do December 15.”
A joint statement from Mayor Ed Gainey's administration, the Department of Public Safety, and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services confirmed the letters were posted on Nov. 21.
"Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh have launched a collaborative effort to work with everyone living outside along the river trails to ensure that they are offered shelter and permanent housing options, starting with the Three Rivers Heritage Trail," the statement read. It credited the recent addition of more than 200 shelter spaces and early gains by the county's "500 in 500" affordable-housing initiative for providing alternative housing.
Kelsey Ripper, executive director with Friends of the Riverfront,
said there were concerns about safety and sanitation at the site.
“We recognize that this action was in response to safety concerns. There were reports of drug activity and violence and unsanitary conditions, which affected both the unhoused residents and other trail users,” Ripper said. “Safety is a top priority for Friends of the Riverfront, so we appreciate the city’s efforts.”
City Councilor Dan Lavelle confirmed that his office, which represents the area where the encampment sits, received increased calls recently from people concerned about worsening conditions and dangerous activity. And new accommodations, like a cluster of winter overflow beds at a former North Side school, made it possible to take action, he said.
“The city has been preparing for some time now to begin slowly decommissioning a number of encampments, including that one as well as others along the North Shore trail,” he said. “We’re able to do so now because we have enough beds to support the decommissioning of camps, so they actually have somewhere to go.”
He said he sees the shutting down of the camp as a sign of progress and collaboration between the city and Allegheny County’s homelessness initiatives.
The county Department of Human Services has been “working intensively with those staying near the Three Rivers Heritage Trail for a few weeks,” according to Mark Bertolet, a spokesperson with Allegheny County’s Office of Equity and Engagement.
“We have a person-by-person individualized plan and use it to match people to family support, shelter and other social services and permanent housing options,” he said. “Close to 20 people have already been matched with housing supports and we’ll continue to support the work until the encampment is closed.”
Anne Cairns, a spokesperson for the Light of Life Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter located on Voeghtly Street on the North Side, said her organization has been supporting people living at the encampment by offering outreach and access to meals, clothing, and referrals to services like shelter, addiction recovery programs, and counseling.
In the weeks leading up to Dec. 15, she said, Light of Life will continue engaging with people at the camp. Officials from the shelter are working along the trail to alert people of the closure and offer resources. The shelter has opened its winter overflow, adding 25 additional beds, 20 for men and 5 for women.
“If our emergency shelter reaches capacity, we want to make sure no one is left without option(s), so we connect individuals to other shelters and provide transportation to these locations as needed,” Cairns said in a statement. “Our goal is to provide a safe, warm place for everyone during the harsh winter months.”
Ripper, of Friends of the Riverfront, says that while her organization doesn’t work in active sites, it helps clean up abandoned encampments.
“The city will take the lead on the cleanup, and we will provide support as they are able to move people into housing and shelter spaces,” Ripper said. “If people are moving from their sites before December 15th, then we'll be able to provide some assistance as that's happening.”
Items that are left behind may be stored by the city: Talik says ROOTS typically helps owners collect their belongings in such cases.
Ripper says her group works with ROOTS to figure out which belongings camp dwellers want to keep, and clears out the rest.
“What we’re cleaning up is things that are clearly disposed of, nothing that’s being currently used or identified as people’s personal belongings,” she said.
