WHEELING, W.Va. — Wheeling City Council opted to move forward with an ordinance scheduled to take effect this week that will ban homeless encampments.
City Council came to the decision during their meeting Tuesday. They held a time for public comment before deciding to let the ordinance take effect as originally planned.
“We’re very mindful of the impact and how critical this issue is to so many in our community,” Mayor Glenn Elliott said Tuesday during the meeting.
Elliot was one of two who voted against the ordinance when it passed in early November. The other was council member Rosemary Ketchum.
Mayor Elliott said the goal has always been for the city manager to create a managed camp with rules and regulations that the homeless individuals can be at. That managed camp hasn’t been established.
A few dozen organizations who are advocates for the homeless individuals had requested council put a stay on the ordinance which goes into effect Wednesday at 5 p.m. Around 30 different community members, religious leaders and medical professionals sent a joint letter to council members Monday asking for them to hold on letting the ordinance go into effect until a different solution could be thought of.
Dr. William Mercer, a Street Medicine Physician and member of the American Public Health Association’s caucus for homelessness, was one of the many who had his name on the letter sent to council and was also in attendance for Tuesday’s meeting. He previously called the ordinance one that “makes the situation worse, not better.”
It’s unclear exactly how many homeless individuals are living in camps throughout the city. City Manager Robert Herron said there could be up to five different camps with 15 individuals. Although, Dr. Mercer said that the Winter Homeless Shelter in downtown Wheeling could see up to 120 people on a daily basis. Some service providers have said one camp could contain 12 people.
Mercer is on the board of directors for the Life Hub, which operates the Winter Homeless Shelter. He said the facility has 50 beds and people will spend time there to stay warm between the hours of 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. before leaving the facility in the morning.
Council member Ben Seidler claimed that the ordinance does include an avenue for the city manager to take to exclude some camps from being removed. However, it’s the first time that council has discussed the matter.
“There is a process in place for you to request exemptions for certain camps,” Seidler told Herron.
Herron said no exemptions have been filed. He said people should reach out to him directly about seeking an exemption on a camp.
“Any recognized non-profit that has any association with providing homeless services can contact my office and we’ll discuss the specific camp,” said Herron.
It’s expected that the city will conduct sweeps of camps at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia (ACLU-WV) said they would consider taking legal action against the City of Wheeling if the homeless encampments were demolished.