Minneapolis committee hears mixed public reaction to humane encampment response ordinance

Minneapolis Council members presented a Humane Encampment Response Ordinance on Dec. 9 that would create a public-health-centered, standardized approach to responding to encampments and set requirements for preclosure notice, sanitation, personal property storage, and mental-health responders during closures.

Council Vice President Chuck Tay, joined by co-authors Councilmembers Chavez and Chowdhury, told the Committee of the Whole the ordinance grew from work beginning in 2022 and is intended to make responses consistent across encampments, reduce costly MPD overtime, and preserve dignity for residents experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Tay said the ordinance would trigger a coordinated public-health response within 10 days if an encampment forms with about 20 or more people and would require portable sanitation, hand-washing stations, naloxone, safe needle disposal, multilingual notices about weather-relief sites, and coordination with housing case management.

Preclosure notice and property storage: The ordinance would require a preclosure notice posted at least seven days in advance, orally conveyed to residents and shared with community partners; until closure, the city would offer free, transit-accessible storage for residents' personal property. Presenters said closures would not occur unless the notice was posted, with exceptions for imminent threats to life.

Public comment: Dozens of speakers addressed the ordinance during the committee's public hearing. Nicole Mason (SEG 672) thanked the council for the work but said the measure "does not offer real, meaningful solutions" and warned it would "push people further into the margins" by focusing on restrictions rather than pathways to housing. Other witnesses echoed calls for permanent supportive housing, culturally grounded services, and longer notice; some asked for explicit prohibitions on fencing cleared sites and installing concrete barriers that prevent return. Several speakers cited data and alleged annual costs for sweeps, with one commenter saying the city wastes "well over $330,000 every year on ineffective encampment sweeps" (SEG 14).

Law enforcement presence and mental-health staffing: Authors said the ordinance requires using the minimum number of law enforcement personnel needed at closures and deploying personnel trained in homelessness response and mental health to minimize law enforcement disruptions and better serve residents.

Next steps: Council members closed the public hearing and said discussion on the encampment ordinance would resume after closed-session briefings; the ordinance was moved to full council as part of consent/agenda actions later in the meeting.