“Very few see us as human. Too many people have given up on us now. The only people we have on our side is supposed to be you guys.”

That, from Jess Truex, a resident of Wheeling’s homeless encampment, to members of Wheeling City Council during their Tuesday meeting.

Then this, from Mike Jaeger, another homeless person in the city: “Whatever it takes for us to come together to find some common ground, that’s what needs to happen. There’s nowhere else to go. If we live on the streets, we get locked up for vagrancy. I ask that you please try to work with us and find a solution.”

And this, from Third Ward Councilor Connie Cain, speaking not as an elected official but as a resident of East Wheeling: “I’ve been out to the camp — nobody should be living like that. It’s been two whole years. I have elderly people in East Wheeling, and they are scared to death. In the middle of the night, they’re coming to their houses. They’re knocking on their doors.

“… At what point do we say, ‘people matter, businesses matter, and the residents matter?'”

And finally this, from Dr. Norman Wood, a physician that helps care for the homeless: “I applaud the city council’s decision in closing the homeless camp. That is definitely a step in the right direction. Leaving them out in the freezing winter is not compassionate care, it is societal neglect.”

Those statements — four of 30 made during Tuesday’s meeting — sum up perfectly where we stand today in terms of how Wheeling will handle the planned Dec. 1 closure of the exempted camp near Fulton.

And Wheeling here means more than city government — it’s going to take residents, service agencies, health care leaders and elected officials to tackle this crisis.

And a crisis it is. Pushing people on to the streets at the start of December is not a move of compassion. Allowing folks to live in a tent city in the coldest months of the year, and having them impact life for those in nearby neighborhoods — there’s no compassion in that, either. Having business owners deal with trash and human waste outside their doors? That has to stop.

So, how do we move forward? Judging the comments from Tuesday’s meeting, the plan as it exists today — closing the camp and hoping those affected will simply find shelter somewhere — will not work.

The issue is both complex and urgent. Yet amid the emotion, frustration, and fear that came across Tuesday, one message emerged: this crisis cannot be solved by government alone.

Wheeling’s homeless crisis has been years in the making. City council attempted to solve the problem with millions in taxpayer funding. That didn’t work. Then outlawing camping in public spaces and establishing an exempted camp became the answer. Two years later and that attempt, according to Mayor Dennis Magruder, has been a “failure.”

One of the issues is a lack of available beds. It is estimated that about 70 people currently live in the homeless camp. Yet local shelters, including the Life Hub, already are at capacity. Several others have closed in recent years.

Closing a camp without a viable alternative leaves the most vulnerable with no safe place to go. That was at the heart of what many pleaded for Tuesday.

Some residents, like Abrielle Struthers, explained that the camp, imperfect as it is, offers at least some measure of community and protection. Others, like outreach coordinator Kate Marshall, warned that closing it will not make the problem disappear.

Instead, as Councilman Ben Seidler noted, “People deserve dignity.” Yet dignity cannot come solely through city ordinances. It comes when an entire community steps forward to help.

That means churches, nonprofits, and neighborhood groups working together to provide safe, structured alternatives. It means local businesses supporting workforce re-entry programs. It means property owners showing compassion, and service organizations coordinating rather than competing. It means each of us recognizing the shared humanity of those living under bridges or along Wheeling Creek.

Mark Phillips of Catholic Charities West Virginia reminded everyone that homelessness is a growing issue nationwide — one that no single agency can fix. “Wheeling should be the kind of city that takes the lead … with values-based leadership that recognizes the inherent dignity of the people that are here,” he said.

There is no single, easy solution. A managed camp may be one option. Expanding shelter capacity, increasing treatment access, and providing low-barrier housing are others. But none will succeed without support.

Tuesday night’s meeting made one thing clear: Wheeling is full of people who care deeply — about their neighborhoods, their businesses, and their neighbors. The challenge now is to turn that passion into partnership. If this city is to live up to its long-held spirit of neighbors helping neighbors, then it must meet this moment not with blame, but resolve. The camp’s closure marks the end of one chapter. What matters now is if Wheeling’s residents, churches, charities, and civic leaders can write the next one — a story not of division, but of shared humanity.