St. Paul working through weekend to help shelter more than 300 people as cold advances

The push to help more than 300 people find shelter in St. Paul will continue throughout the weekend.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS talked with a woman named Missy who is living in the Kellogg Boulevard encampment, and she told KSTP there has been help from nonprofit groups to get people into warmer shelter.

“There have been people out here during the week who are helping us and trying to do some outreach stuff,” Missy said. “I definitely want to find a place to stay that is warmer, but I also really would like to find a place that is safer, too.”

The St. Paul Fire Department said the eight homeless encampments with nylon tents huddled close together are becoming “potential death traps” and that’s a big reason why the city is now making a strong push to get people out of the tent encampments.

According to a fire department report, the encampment at Kellogg Mall Park in downtown St. Paul has been the site of 15 fire calls and 25 medical calls since late November. The Mounds Boulevard encampment near East Seventh Street had five fire calls, 12 medical calls and nearly a half-dozen fire hazards listed.

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