During the last half of 2024, the city of Minneapolis spent more than $330,000 to clear 17 encampments, according to data released Tuesday. 

That data was collected as part of a new encampment reporting ordinance passed by the City Council last fall, in an effort to boost transparency around clearings and better inform future policies. 

An estimated 227 unsheltered residents were forced to leave on the day of the closures, which occurred between July 25 and Dec. 18 last year, according to the report. 

The bulk of the cost — about 80 percent — was paid by the police department. Enrique Velazquez, director of Regulatory Services for the city, said that was a high proportion, due to a string of clearings that were triggered by crimes reported in or near encampments that required a law enforcement presence. 

City staff offered about 75 percent of the people, who were present during the closures, help getting connected to shelter — with nine individuals accepting.

Velazquez said the city can help facilitate people getting into shelters, but it’s the county’s team that focuses on client-specific support, including providing longer-term housing. He said he’s hoping strengthened collaboration with the county will lead to more conclusive data next reporting period, on how many people were connected to longer-term housing. 

“My hope is that we will continue to strengthen that partnership and help to find mechanisms so that we can get to that data,” he said.

Velazquez will present the findings from the report to members of the City Council later this week.

Collected from Minnesota Public Radio News. View original source here.