Local governments collaborate on homeless camps

The effort to eliminate homeless camps on public property, while directing the occupants to shelters and public services, continues to gain momentum across Minnesota. The city of Minneapolis just cleared out three encampments, while the Duluth City Council prepares to vote on a homeless ban next week, even as the Brainerd City Council considers a similar ordinance the following week.

At the same time, the city of Baxter has raised the prospect of coordinating efforts to rein in camps on public property with nearby Brainerd and Crow Wing County authorities, according to the Dispatch.

In a trifecta, the Baxter City Council became the third local government to talk about homelessness in a matter of two days.

The issue before Baxter is camping on public land. Baxter Police Chief Jim Exsted and Josh Doty, community development director, addressed the council during a workshop session Tuesday, July 16, seeking feedback on a potential ordinance to prohibit camping as a temporary place to live. Baxter staff met with counterparts in Brainerd and in a report to the Baxter City Council stated there was “support for a collaborative and consistent approach moving forward.”

The starting point for Baxter, as well as for Brainerd and Duluth, is an ordinance banning homeless encampments in public spaces that was implemented by Rochester in March. Baxter currently has few options for dealing with camps on city property, an issue that’s become more prevalent in recent years. The Rochester ordinance includes a possible $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail, which authorities call a last resort to encourage individuals to seek help. Nevertheless, Baxter officials appear to favor a lesser penalty as part of a comprehensive effort to provide assistance.

Exsted said as a law enforcement they understand the comment about criminalization.

“As the chief of police, I totally understand that,” Exsted said. “I can’t tell you how much time we’ve invested over the last three to five years working with community partners.”

Exsted pointed to the nonprofit Lighthouse Beginning and Open Arms Community Center in Baxter’s Industrial Park, which helps with homelessness and offers mental health services and substance abuse services and other components to help people.

At the same time, homeless encampments can present a threat to public safety that requires authorities to step in.

He said when community members report someone camping on the side of the road, they discuss there is nothing criminal and they are not criminalizing that.

“But when an individual is in the tunnel on the underpass, and another person calls and is threatened by that, well, now we’re starting to have quality of life situations that are cropping up and we need to have a tool to be able to address it, if everything else fails.”

Exsted said if there was an encampment on public property, Baxter doesn’t have a tool to address it as all of the city’s regulations relate to structures and campers.

It’s no coincidence that more communities are finally moving toward a more common sense policy on homeless encampments, following years of turmoil. Clearly the U.S. Supreme Court decision a month ago to give authorities in Grant’s Pass, Oregon more discretion in controlling homeless camps has paved the way for other communities to finally address the issue as well.