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Social Issues
Melissa Olson

Minneapolis sets new Jan. 4 closing date for Camp Nenookaasi

A trash bin and other debris lines a row of tents
Tents and handmade warming yurts line the edge of Camp Nenookaasi in Minneapolis on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.
Ben Hovland | MPR News

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Updated: 4:28 p.m.

The city of Minneapolis says it will close a large encampment of unsheltered people in the Phillips neighborhood on Jan. 4.

There were ongoing public safety and health concerns at Camp Nenookaasi, including a fatal shooting this month.

County agencies and community housing partners have connected more than 100 people at the camp to housing or shelter options, spokesperson Sarah McKenzie said in a Friday email.

McKenzie said county, state and local shelters will add 90 beds to the shelter system in the beginning of 2024. The Mary F. Frey Minneapolis Opportunity Center will offer services to residents of the camp on the day of the camp’s closure.

Hennepin County’s Streets to Housing Team have “documented 31 exits” from the encampment into shelters and housing, Hennepin County spokesperson Carolyn Marinan said.

Camp organizer Nicole Mason says she is still processing news of the eviction. Mason said Friday she doesn’t believe short-term shelter options — especially those that require people find a warm place during the day — will solve the issues camp residents are facing, especially those with substance use disorder who are actively using.

“We are saying we need more mental health services, we need addiction services, but in our [cultural] ways for our people,” Mason said, referring to the Indigenous people in the camp.

Christin Crabtree, who volunteers at the camp says the number of shelter beds offered by the county may not be enough to meet the housing needs at the encampment. An informal count of residents taken by organizers last week found approximately 140 people at the camp. Crabtree added that a number of residents have told her they do not feel safe at local shelters.

The announcement follows repeated calls from Indigenous nonprofit leaders who demanded the city close down the encampment immediately. In a press release last week, Ryan Salmon, interim director of the Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors, said the demand comes from “community members who are threatened with retaliation” for expressing fears related to violence at the camp.

One of the city’s partners is Helix Health and Housing Services. Case managers have helped to house more than 70 residents from Nenookaasi, according to Helix leader Adam Fairbanks. He said 95 percent have found permanent housing.

Fairbanks said his case workers also assisted camp residents in receiving treatment for substance use disorder. At least one person from the camp has entered a chemical health treatment program and 10 more are scheduled to begin outpatient treatment soon.

The city also added it has entered into an agreement with an Indigenous nonprofit to redevelop the lot where the camp is currently situated. A new community center is planned for the location.

The city has delayed closure of the camp twice since the start of December.