Michele Knutson, 37, walked around the encampment at Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary Thursday snapping photos of the empty tents she and others lived in before it would be gone.
“I’m not surprised because this is a sanctuary,” Knutson said. “There’s time when we give the sanctuary back that’s the reason why it’s a sanctuary.”
Though the St. Paul native said she knew the day was coming, she found community at the encampment and it was hard to leave.
For weeks at least 40 individuals — many of them Hmong — living at the encampment, located off the corner of Payne Avenue and East Seventh Street packed their belongings and evacuated the space after having been given nine days notice. City officials removed what remained of tents, items and debris on Thursday. Multiple organizations came to assist in the process and check in on those affected.
“Our goal is to get everybody indoors,” St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said. “A clean, safe, warm environment for every individual.”
The city’s involvement
The encampment was vacated due to reports of health and safety hazards, according to Carter. On different occasions, police and the fire department were called to the encampment due to tent fires and medical emergencies. Carter said he was notified multiple times of the hazards the encampment presented.
“The cleanliness and safety conditions here got to a point where our staff recommended closing,” the mayor said.
Carter said organizations in partnership with the city including the Homeless Assistance Response Team, have been visiting the encampment long before the notice to relocate was given. According to HART’s Chief Business Officer Angie Wiese, the team began work with the residents in August 2023.
According to Wiese, those living at the encampment were told about the relocation for at least a month prior.
“Residents here have known that this was pretty imminent,” Wiese said,
Carter said his biggest concern lies with the well-being of the individuals. He said he hopes to present a different approach to homelessness than those of the past.
“I am concerned that there are people who may go from this to another situation that is not safe,” Carter said. “Our goal is to keep offering the spaces, to keep building relationships, to keep making sure that we’re asking and understanding what people need and keep taking care of people wherever they are.”
From one encampment to the next
Everyone in the encampment was offered a one-night stay in a shelter space through Thursday, according to Carter. Some however did not accept and instead are moving to another encampment such as one on Fish Hatchery Road or near U.S. Highway 61, where Knutson’s off to next.
“It seemed more like a hub just so we could all find each other because we’re family,” Knutson said. “Now that we’ve found each other we’re kind of sticking together.”
Knutson said that though organizations have visited the encampment, she feels the group has not received enough support to help them find options outside of homelessness. Knutson said organizations will “come and show face” but don’t speak to people and get to know them.
“It could be us and not them really,” Knutson said. “Maybe we weren’t ready, so I don’t want to complain that anyone was doing anything wrong.”
Knutson is waiting for her Group Residential Housing voucher to be taken off hold because it still states that she lives under Minnesota One-Stop, but she’s been out of the program since June 2024, she said.
Issues in the Hmong community
Xianna Moua-Yang and her husband Yeng Moua started Koom Recovery in 2024, with a vision to “Break the silence of substance use disorder in the Hmong community.” Moua-Yang and Yeng attempted to visit the Bruce Vento encampment at least once a week, surveying Hmong members to understand their needs, resource barriers and help people get IDs.
“Our goal is to help educate, empower and support individuals in the Hmong community,” Moua-Yang said.
Moua-Yang, who said she is a recovering drug addict, said her brother lived at the Bruce Vento encampment and will be moving to another. More than five years ago, Moua-Yang and her brother lived together in a house where the two of them regularly used methamphetamine.
“My brother through his use and psychosis, he burned my house down so we both became homeless,” Moua-Yang said.
Moua-Yang said that in the Hmong community, honor is a highly valued, especially among families. When a person dishonors their family by engaging in harmful habits, they’re often disregarded and sometimes kicked out.
Her drug addiction began when she was forced to marry at 16, by her family, Moua-Yang said. Eventually, Moua-Yang said she found help and went into recovery but her brother did not.
She’s been in recovery for five years and met her husband while at Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. Because of Moua-Yang’s experience, she presented the idea of starting Koom recovery to her husband.
Koom Recovery partners with the Recovery Cafe located in Frogtown, at 499 Charles Avenue. They host events like “Pho-Recovery” where community members and those experiencing homelessness and substance abuse can gather over food and share stories. They also give chemical assessments to help people find treatment and are seeking a grant that will support them in providing IDs.
“We plan to do a lot of culturally specific things because substance use disorder is a big stigma in our community,” Moua-Yang said. “We don’t talk about substance use disorder, which a lot of these individuals have, and it’s shoved under the rug.”
Culturally specific resources are important because they can help people better understand their options and provide comfort among community members, Moua-Yang said. Koom Recovery does not discriminate or not include people but their focus is on the Hmong community, they said. They say they have seen the difference it makes.
“Just talking to them [people living at the Bruce Vento encampment, being Hmong and coming to talk to these individuals, they open up more and I see the difference,” Moua-Yang said. “When I see other organizations come out they don’t tend to open up. They think these people are here to just get news on them or kick them out.”
Koom Recovery is hosting a Town Hall meeting to raise awareness of substance use in the Hmong community from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Thursday, at Recovery Cafe. State Rep. David Becker, St. Paul City Council Member Nelsie Yang and Ramsey County Board Commissioner Mai Chong Xiong will take part in a panel discussion.