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City and county say coordinated outreach and trail postings reduced encampments; Roots reports 75 housed on North Side
Summary
Officials described weekly tracking of tents, coordinated referrals and a person‑centered approach to postings and closures on the North Shore, Eliza Furnace Trail and South Side Trail; Roots North Side work helped place 75 people into shelter since January.
PITTSBURGH — City and county officials described a coordinated, person‑centered strategy for managing encampments along city trails and riverfront paths and said tracking and outreach have reduced visible tents in key areas since 2023.
Camila Darkon, assistant director for the city's Office of Community Health and Safety, told council members that city and county teams track tent locations weekly on routes where community concern is high and focus outreach on housing and engagement rather than immediate removal. “I don't love the word encampment, but, it's, I think, the a familiar word that we use,” Darkon said.
Officials described a multi‑agency approach that pairs police, outreach teams (including Roots), co‑response teams and county DHS case managers. When tents appear on posted trails, staff and police make referrals to Roots and other engagement teams; Roots and other providers attempt warm handoffs to shelter or services. The city said the North Shore, Eliza Furnace Trail and the South Side Trail are priorities for posting “no camping” signs and for timely engagement.
Origins and outcomes: The Roots North Side collaboration reported 75 people moved into shelter since January after focused outreach and case conferencing with DHS, the North Side winter facility and shelter providers. A Roots team lead said the initiative could approach 100 placements by the end of March, and staff emphasized the role of repeated engagement, case management and reunification efforts for people who are chronically unsheltered.
Officials said the strategy emphasizes individualized offers of housing or shelter and uses diversion teams when people initially refuse services. A diversion team is sometimes deployed as an on‑scene case manager to perform a warm handoff and attempt placement before law enforcement escalates the matter.
Why it matters: Council members expressed relief at the decline in tents in monitored corridors, noting that trail users and businesses had raised concerns. Officials said the reduction of visible tents does not mean the problem is solved: the work continues in the South Side and other corridors and staff are expanding Roots routes to better cover those areas.
(Ending) City and county teams said they will continue weekly tracking, coordinate postings and refine engagement processes; they asked council offices to continue relaying local reports to 311 and DHS so outreach can be targeted.
