In a September incident report, a St. Paul Police officer said while he was on two months’ worth of patrols that, he had seen “outdoor and indoor use of fentanyl” at the Kimball Court apartments at 535 Snelling Avenue and also said he had “witnessed it multiple times on a daily basis during the duration of my tour.”

St. Paul Police records also showed they were called to Kimball Court 32 times in September and 23 times during the first two weeks of October. 

Kimball Court tenant Alexander Clark told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he was working on his sobriety and was transitioning out of homelessness, but his nine months at the apartment building have been uneasy, and he wants out.

“I am not even able to go in my apartment really, like go to sleep and feel safe,” said Clark. “I’ve had threats. I’ve had people break into my room. I have had so many things.”

Kimball Court’s tenants are either transitioning out of homelessness, tackling drug addiction, or both.

Sgt. Mike Ernster said police are on consistent patrols around the apartment building and were working to fix the problem.

“Whether that be preventing crime, intervening in it, or even enforcing violations when we see them,” said Ernster. “People have reached out to us, and we hear their concerns, and we share their concerns about what’s going on in that neighborhood.”

The St. Paul City Council recently approved $3.3 million to support the expansion of Kimball Court from 76 beds to 98 beds.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS tried to reach out to St. Paul City Council President Mitra Jalali, but she was not available for comment.

Attempts to connect with the property management company were not successful.