MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS UPDATE | St. Paul Completes Closure of Pig’s Eye Park Homeless Encampment

St. Paul has completed the permanent closure of its largest homeless encampment at Pig’s Eye Park. City officials reported no arrests during the operation, but outreach workers say many displaced residents moved to another encampment rather than entering shelters or permanent housing.

ST. PAUL, MN (August 6, 2026) The City of St. Paul completed its closure of the homeless encampment at Pig’s Eye Park on Wednesday, August 5, marking the first major action under a broader city plan to dismantle established encampments.

Approximately 140 people were believed to be living at the site before the closure, according to city estimates. Pig’s Eye Park had become St. Paul’s largest encampment and a focal point in the city’s struggle to respond to rising unsheltered homelessness.

The city said the operation was completed without arrests or enforcement actions during the closure period.

The outcome updates MinneapoliMedia’s earlier reporting about St. Paul’s planned rolling closures at Pig’s Eye Park, Shepard Road and the former Kmart property on L’Orient Street.

City Cited Fires, Assaults and Emergency Calls

St. Paul officials said deteriorating safety conditions made the Pig’s Eye encampment unsustainable.

The city cited fires, assaults, drug activity and repeated emergency-response calls among the conditions that contributed to the decision. Officials also expressed concern about the safety of encampment residents, outreach workers and first responders.

City crews arrived Wednesday morning to remove tents, debris and other materials. The operation initially produced tense encounters among workers, residents and volunteers attempting to help people preserve their belongings.

Council Member HwaJeong Kim helped broker an arrangement giving residents and volunteers additional time to move possessions before the city completed the clearance.

City officials later announced that Pig’s Eye Park had been permanently closed as an encampment.

Where Residents Went Remains Unclear

Although outreach services were offered before and during the closure, the city was unable to provide a complete public accounting of where all displaced residents went.

Officials also could not immediately say how many people accepted shelter placements or how many shelter beds were ultimately used.

Outreach workers reported that some residents moved to another encampment near Randolph Avenue and Shepard Road. One outreach provider estimated that at least half of the Pig’s Eye population may have relocated there, potentially more than doubling the number of people living at that location.

That movement underscores a central concern raised by critics of encampment closures: dismantling one site does not resolve homelessness when enough shelter and permanent housing are unavailable.

Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities reportedly had approximately two dozen beds available Wednesday evening, but that capacity represented only a fraction of the population believed to have been living at Pig’s Eye Park.

City and Advocates Disagree Over the Approach

St. Paul officials maintain that large, established encampments present unacceptable health and safety risks and should not be allowed to remain indefinitely.

Advocates and encampment residents argue that closures can scatter vulnerable people, separate them from outreach providers and cause the loss of identification, medication, clothing and other essential belongings.

They also warn that repeated displacement can make it harder for social workers to maintain contact with people seeking housing or health services.

More than 1,400 single adults were reportedly on Ramsey County’s housing placement waiting list as the city prepared its broader encampment strategy.

The disagreement is therefore not simply over whether encampments are safe. It is also over what should happen when they are closed and whether sufficient alternatives exist.

Additional Closures Remain Ahead

Pig’s Eye Park was identified as the first of three major St. Paul encampments slated for closure. The other locations are along Shepard Road and at the former Kmart property on L’Orient Street.

The city had not publicly announced final closure dates for those sites at the time of this report.

MinneapoliMedia will continue following the city’s encampment policy, the availability of shelter and housing placements and the conditions facing residents displaced from Pig’s Eye Park.

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