Rochester council slated to discuss homelessness

Randy Petersen, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·3 min read

Jun. 11—ROCHESTER — Rochester police are reporting an increase in interactions with people experiencing homelessness.

Information provided to the Rochester City Council

states police officers responded to 1,790 incidents involving people without a permanent address since the start of the year.

It's a rate that would put annual incidents at nearly 4,161, compared to 2,714 last year and 1,916 in 2021.

Additionally, the number of reported trespassing incidents — 651 — through June 6 has surpassed the 587 reported in 2022.

The increase comes as advocates are reporting increased need.

Olmsted County's housing stability line receives a reported eight to 10 calls daily, and its

Empowering Connections and Housing Outreach (ECHO) Center

has seen visits increase to an average of 166 a month.

Alex Hurlebaus, The Landing MN's director of social services, said the nonprofit day center for people experiencing homelessness saw a total of 1,982 visits in December, which included 227 people.

The numbers rose to 2,940 visits in May, which represented 352 people.

The Rochester Police Department report indicates officers have interacted with 664 people defined as homeless since the start of the year.

Rochester Mayor Kim Norton said she'd like to see more attention to the numbers to determine how many people are homeless on a typical night, since many of the numbers provided cover longer periods and local efforts are helping house people

As a result, she said some of the hundreds cited in recent months aren't necessarily homeless today.

"I think we have to be very careful about drawing that conclusion," she said of assuming all the people who were homeless at some point in May are homeless today.

Landing co-founder Dan Fifield said he sees the numbers rising through community outreach, which often includes visiting campsites with food and water. He's also seen criticism of such activity start to increase.

"I'm getting a little concerned about that mentality," he said, pointing out the goal is to address basic needs and help the community stay safe.

"When you are hungry or thirsty, you tend to make bad decisions," he said, adding that providing some stability can be an initial step in helping someone become housed and avoid future conflicts.

The Rochester City Council is slated to discuss the city's response to people experiencing homelessness during its weekly study session at 3:30 p.m. Monday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center.

Among the discussion will be the Rochester Police Department's approach when encountering people experiencing homelessness.

According to materials provided to the council, a three-level approach starts with educating people about resource options and code restrictions, such as the

city's ban on overnight use of skyways.

The second interaction calls for working with available social services and offering referrals, which is followed by enforcement activity when the initial approaches don't work or criminal activity is expected.

In addition to the police response, which includes increased downtown patrols and added parking ramp security, city staff will discuss

shelter efforts

and

park encampments

.

Meetings scheduled to be held during the week of June 12 include:

Rochester

* Outside Agency Oversight Commission, 1 p.m. Monday in room 104 of City Hall, 201 Fourth St. SE.

* City Council study session, 3:30 p.m. Monday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center, 151 Fourth St. SE. The meeting will livestream at

www.rochestermn.gov/meetings/council-meetings

and be available on Spectrum cable channel 180 or 188 and Metronet channel 80.

* Rochester Police Policy Oversight Commission, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in room 164B of the Development Services and Infrastructure Center, 4001 West River Parkway.

* Planning and Zoning Commission, 6 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers of the Government Center.

* Police Civil Service Commission, 3 p.m. Thursday in room 164B of the Development Services and Infrastructure Center, 4001 West River Parkway.

Olmsted County

* New commissioner introduction to Department: Adult and Family Services, 4 p.m. Tuesday at 2100 Campus Drive SE in Rochester.