parks
St. Paul council members press for shelter details as encampment closures loom
Summary by The Minneapolis Editorial Desk · Based on reporting by Viktorie Spurná , Sahan Journal
· July 23, 2026
· 9 min read
Camp resident Leigha Walker poses for a portrait with her dog Novacaine outside her tent at an encampment at Pig’s Eye Park on July 17, 2026. " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/sahanjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/PigsEyeEncampment-01748.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> Two weeks after St. Pa...
Story provenance No corrections
Summary created by The Minneapolis Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Original reporting Viktorie Spurná, Sahan Journal Original story Read at the source Source published Jul 23, 2026 Indexed here Jul 23, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
Every story comes with a passport. How we work · Corrections log
Key takeaway Paul Mayor Kaohly Her announced a plan to close the city’s three largest homeless encampments, council members pressed top city and county officials to explain how they would house the 200-some residents who would be displaced.
Why this matters in The Minneapolis
The impending closure of St. Paul's largest homeless encampments raises concerns about the city's ability to provide adequate shelter for displaced residents in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. As council members press for details, the city's commitment to ensuring immediate shelter for all encampment residents will be closely watched. The situation in St. Paul has implications for neighboring Minneapolis, where similar issues with homelessness have been a growing concern. The experience of closing encampments in St. Paul in 2024 and 2025 may offer some lessons, but the increased size of the current encampments poses new challenges. With the closure of the Pig's Eye encampment set to begin on August 5, the city's ability to respond to the needs of its most vulnerable residents will be put to the test, and Minneapolis will likely be watching to see how the situation unfolds.
About this story
Original reporting by Sahan Journal . The Minneapolis surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
For the complete original report, visit Sahan Journal . Have a tip or correction? Contact our newsroom .
Category: parks ·
Published: July 23, 2026 ·
Source: Sahan Journal ·
Reading time: 9 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? Camp resident Leigha Walker poses for a portrait with her dog Novacaine outside her tent at an encampment at Pig’s Eye Park on July 17, 2026. " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/sahanjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/PigsEyeEncampment-01748.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> Two weeks after St. Pa...
When was this published? This article was first published on July 23, 2026 by Sahan Journal and curated for The Minneapolis readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Viktorie Spurná at Sahan Journal. To learn more about how The Minneapolis selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more parks coverage from The Minneapolis, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
← Back to all news
More parks →
Today’s briefing
Subscribe to newsletter