Council member Chavez: No shelter capacity for 230 people displaced after encampment fires
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Amid the cold weather there have been a string of fires at encampments in Minneapolis. Two encampment fires ignited Monday just six blocks apart. Both were in the Midtown Phillips neighborhood in south Minneapolis.
At the larger of the two encampments, Minneapolis fire officials say propane tanks exploded, causing a large plume of black smoke to rise over the city. At the other encampment, they were able to put out the fire before any explosions occurred.
These incidents follow another fire under similar circumstances less than a month ago, where propane tanks exploded at an encampment in the same neighborhood.
Minneapolis Council member Jason Chavez represents the area where the encampment fires happened. He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about solutions for unhoused people in Minneapolis.
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Advocates for the homeless say more than 200 people were displaced in Monday’s fires. Minneapolis fire officials say they did not have an official count.
“There is no shelter capacity for or for any location to accommodate that many people staying in a place that is warm, safe and secure,” Chavez said. “Folks here are very stressed. They experience something that is very traumatic and something that heightens the reality that we need to address more solutions to address this issue hands on, in a humane approach.”
Christin Crabtree, an organizer with Camp Nenookaasi, said about 35 people got temporary shelter overnight, but many were left to find their own shelter.
“There were several residents who were hiding in bus shelters to stay warm last night,” she said Tuesday. “We actually called Hennepin County and Ramsey County, and there were very limited number of beds, like under 10 in each at the time that we really needed them. And then dark fell, and so it was a matter of just having outreach out, trying to distribute items to stay warm, blankets, jackets, that kind of thing, food and just support people however we possibly could.”
Crabtree said more help like the nonprofit that opened its doors Monday night is needed.
“We need more people like that, more nonprofits, more faith community partners, people with churches willing to open their doors, because that will make a big difference,” she said. “It is so cold out that people will die, which is why you know people you know are doing things like, you know, using wood and those kind of things to stay warm.”
Chavez said Minneapolis City Council is working to try to address the issue. He said he is looking at different approaches, like a program in St. Paul where the city hires people to help clean up the downtown area.
"We know that if you address the ecosystem around someone with a housing-first approach, the likelihood that they can find stability in their life only increases,” he said. “So that’s one of the things that we’re doing on the City Council, creating low barrier job opportunities for folks that are experiencing homelessness.”
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
These fires follow another one under similar circumstances less than a month ago, where propane tanks were exploding at an encampment in the same neighborhood. Advocates for the homeless say more than 200 people were displaced in yesterday's fires. Minneapolis fire officials say they did not have an official count.
Joining me now to talk about solutions for unhoused people in Minneapolis is Council Member Jason Chavez. He represents the area where the encampment fires occurred. Thank you for being with us this afternoon, Council Member Chavez.
JASON CHAVEZ: And thanks for having me today.
NINA MOINI: You and I have met over the years at different town halls, at different city council meetings. This is an ongoing situation, it seems, year after year. It's good that it sounds like no one was hurt physically in these fires. Have you been in touch with any of the residents of the encampments, and what are they telling you about what happened and what they experienced?
JASON CHAVEZ: Yeah. Well, one, thanks for having me here today and for bringing awareness to these tragic incidents that are affecting our unhoused residents in the city of Minneapolis and residents that live next to encampments. I've been working with some of the folks working at the encampments, making sure that we can find at least some places for folks to stay last night, in the midst of a very cold, cold winter. And the reality is that there were around and over 230 residents left looking for shelters and a place to sleep at night yesterday.
There is no shelter capacity for any location to accommodate that many people staying in a place that is warm, safe, and secure. And folks here are very stressed. They experienced something that is very traumatic and something that heightens the reality that we need to address more solutions to address this issue hands on in a humane approach.
NINA MOINI: What would that look like to you? I know the council has been considering different ordinances. But I remember having conversations about this a year ago, some of the same conversations when [INAUDIBLE] was intact. What's going on there? What's the council doing?
JASON CHAVEZ: Yeah, so there's a variety of things. I think one of the key priorities that the city council is pushing for is for a housing-first approach. We understand that in order to keep someone housed, you need to address the ecosystem around somebody's life to make sure that they can be permanently housed. So one of the key initiatives that we just funded that I authored in this past budget cycle was the low-barrier job opportunity.
This is going to be modeled after the city of St Paul, where they hire unhoused residents to help clean up the downtown area of St. Paul. And we're going to do that right here in the city of Minneapolis, and we're going to bring it to the Phillips neighborhoods. It's a southside green zone, the area where these encampments were located at and where you saw these fires impact many of our residents. And the goal with that is to help find more stability for someone that is unsheltered, someone that may not have a job opportunity to get extra dollars in their pocket.
Because we know that if you address the ecosystem around someone with a housing-first approach, the likelihood that they can find stability in their life only increases. So that's one of the things that we're doing on the city council, creating low-barrier job opportunities for folks that are experiencing homelessness. Now, the things that we need to focus on are many things that are coming very soon.
You might remember that last year, towards the end of the year, in 2024, I authored a legislative directive to explore what it could look like to create another navigation center. This used to be at the Wall of Forgotten Natives. The city council is going to receive this update on January 31, what it could look like to use city land as a way to address unsheltered homelessness.
If it means creating a navigation center, A one-stop shop where folks can get resources, get support, and have a place to sleep, That is something that I am very supportive of. And I'm glad that we're going to get that update on January 31. And when it comes to the ordinance-- oh, sorry. Go ahead.
NINA MOINI: No, I'm sorry. You go ahead and finish.
JASON CHAVEZ: And when it comes to the ordinances that you're talking about, you are correct. We are exploring what a safe outdoor space ordinance and a safe parking ordinance looks like. Last year, at the end of it-- I think it was December or November-- I authored, with my colleagues, a staff direction for the city attorney's office to begin drafting a safe outdoor space ordinance and a safe parking ordinance. And we're going to hopefully get that done by July 2025. That's when the report back is. We're hoping to adopt a policy similar to Denver, Colorado for safe outdoor space, which is a small shelter location for people to live in outdoors safely and a safe parking space similar to Duluth, Minnesota, where you can park your car overnight and get services.
NINA MOINI: What role does substance use play in this and the idea of low-barrier shelters or housing? Some people say there are shelters. People just don't want to go there. And then a lot of people say, well, actually there aren't enough shelter beds. I know there have been models that have been what you all call low barrier. Are you looking into that at all?
JASON CHAVEZ: Yeah. So the first thing I'll say is, if you look at the over 230 residents that were unhoused and displaced yesterday, there was no shortage of capacity for all those people to move indoors, at all. So I just want to be clear about that component. The second part is if you go looking for dignified shelter or low-barrier shelter, that's even lower.
And if we are going to assist somebody that is unsheltered, the better shelter for them to be and have more access to is that low-barrier shelter, making sure that the shelters we are building should be a priority of low barrier, making sure that folks have more access to it rather than being moved out, kicked out, or not having access to a shelter. So that is something that we are supportive of that we want to be able to keep on establishing.
You probably know that I authored a resolution to make sure that the shelter did not permanently shut down. And I authored a budget amendment this past December to make sure that Avivo Village would not close down next year, making sure that we can continue operating Avivo Village that has proven to be a tiny village model that works. So one thing that I am really supportive of and will keep on pushing, which will require the city, county, state, and federal government to step up, is the South Minneapolis Tiny Village, a low-barrier, tiny village that is going to allow someone to move indoors, have their own key, be able to have their own tiny little home, get a housing-first approach with mental health, addiction support, resources, job opportunities so they can then transition into a permanent home where they have more stability. And that is something that we support, and I believe the majority of council does too.
NINA MOINI: Before I do let you go, though, what is going on with those 230 people? Do you know?
JASON CHAVEZ: Yeah. So some people were out in the cold, freezing without a place to sleep at night. I know that GMCC in the area was able to help a lot of folks. I believe the Minnesota Indian Resource Center was able to help a variety of people. I worked with St. Paul's Lutheran Church last night. They are a church in the area by the encampment. They were able to open up their place for a few folks to get some place to go indoors. But the reality is that there just isn't enough shelter capacity for all those people to move indoors, and it only heightens the fact that we need to do a lot more at the city level to address this issue because it is unacceptable that in a wealthy city like Minneapolis that people have to stay outside in the freezing cold without a place to sleep and sleep indoors.
NINA MOINI: And that's the reality of why people often just move a block over or in the same area and create more encampments, and then that cycle continues. We look forward in the new year to seeing what the Minneapolis City Council is able to accomplish on this, and we really thank you for your time, Council Member Chavez.
JASON CHAVEZ: I appreciate it. Thank you.
NINA MOINI: That was Council Member Jason Chavez of Minneapolis.
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