Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron speaks during a city council meeting. Herron recently explained that the city's exempt homeless camp will be relocated during the winter months. (File Photo by Eric Ayres)

WHEELING – The exempted homeless encampment in the city of Wheeling is scheduled to be temporarily relocated during cold-weather months.

The new exempted site will not be far from the current homeless encampment in East Wheeling near Tunnel Green along Wheeling Creek along a path known as the Maintenance Trail. The new location is situated on the other side of the Interstate 70 overpass on the same side of the creek and will be deemed an exempted camp site from November until mid-April.

“Under the authority provided by the city’s public property camping ban ordinance, I have authorized and directed the movement of the exempted area from its current location to the ‘back’ part of the city’s ‘dog pound’ property,” Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron said.

The site is in the area where a city dog pound operated decades ago, Herron explained. Today, it is typically used as a “lay down” area where large pieces of equipment can be stored.

Last year by a split vote, members of the previous Wheeling City Council approved legislation which basically bans camping on public property in the city. The new camping ban went into effect on Jan. 1 of this year.

The new ordinance allows for the creation of a managed camp that could be authorized by City Manager Robert Herron. However, there was never any intention expressed of the city serving as the manager of such a camp, as there are several local service agencies that have more expertise in handling issues related to the homeless population.

In light of the fact that no managed camp has been established in Wheeling, the city has authorized an exempted camp to accommodate unhoused individuals. Initially, an exempted camp operated under the U.S. 250 overpass in East Wheeling along 18th Street after the West Virginia Division of Highways – which owns the property – last March terminated its lease with the Ohio County Commissioners for parking at that site.

Thereafter, the city’s exempted camp was relocated to its current creekside site along the Maintenance Trail.

Herron said the new temporary site will be easier to access during the winter months. Officials indicated that it is located closer to the entrance near the area where vehicles driven by city crews or local service providers can enter to access the Maintenance Trail encampment.

“The exempted area will be well defined and enforced,” Herron said. “The city currently doesn’t use this area of the property on a regular basis. It is a flat open area with easy vehicular access, which will be very helpful in inclement weather. It will be easier to organize tents in this area as well.”

Agencies that work closely with the local homeless population have been informed of the upcoming change. Herron indicated that the current encampment provides shade during the summer months, while the new temporary site has a more open layout.

“The police and fire departments have reviewed this site and agree that it is a better site for the upcoming winter months,” he said. “Sanitation and the port-a-john company will be able to service this location better, as well.”

Herron noted that this will be a temporary site change.

“This location will be exempted as of Nov. 1 and until April 15, after which if the city’s nonprofit homeless advocates are unable to work with the unsheltered within the exempted area to find permanent housing or there is an unwillingness to seek housing, the current exempt area will reopen on April 15,” Herron said, noting that the new “dog pound” location will not be exempted after April 15. “Transition to the new exempt area can begin on Oct 15. The current area will be thoroughly cleaned during the first two weeks of November.”

Homeless advocate Dr. William Mercer of Project HOPE was among those who were recently notified about the plan to relocate the exempted camp. While it is never ideal to uproot and relocate individuals, Mercer indicated that the new site does have its benefits.

“I’m definitely hopeful that the lighting will be a little bit better, which has been an issue for safety at the current location,” said Mercer, who this past week visited Kansas City for a major symposium on health care for unhoused populations. “I still feel that a managed camp will be good. It will allow us to focus on each individual. Our central focus remains on hopefully getting housing for people, but they need to be prepared.”

Mercer noted that most homeless individuals have underlying issues that need to be addressed.

“We’re working on getting more mental health boots on the ground, and of course, we need to address addiction problems,” he said.

There are about 50 campers at the current site, Mercer indicated.

Herron noted that there is expected to be another winter freeze shelter open in the coming months where homeless individuals can escape from the cold – at least during the night. Mercer noted that even those people who take advantage of the winter freeze shelter often also keep a campsite where they can store their personal belongings.

“Please be assured that I recognize that this is not the answer to the homelessness, and we are hopeful that all these folks will want to find a way out of the exempted area,” Herron said. “However, at this point, it is my opinion that to continue to effectively enforce the public property camping ban – which I believe has been successfully enforced – we do need an exempted area.”

Mercer said he recently met with Wheeling City Councilman Ben Seidler, who this summer declared that efforts to address the city’s homeless problems were “not working.” Seidler gave a presentation advocating for the implementation of a Homeless Engagement Assistance and Resource Team – or HEART Team – based on one established in Douglas County, Colorado. The councilman said the program there has been successful and focuses on actually reducing homelessness and helping individuals break the cycle of homelessness.

“We’re talking,” Mercer said, noting that the homeless advocates in Wheeling need to continue working in a collaborative effort with city officials on these issues. “We’re making some progress.”

According to the city manager, the exempted camp has been a step in the right direction, indicating that there have been far fewer issues than in the past prior to the camping ban when encampments scattered on properties in town were rife with criminal activity and various problems.

“The camp has done well this summer,” Herron said.