Over the past several years, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials have closed a number of highly visible homeless encampments throughout Downtown and along the North Shore riverfront trails.
But some of their occupants have relocated to a different encampment near state Route 28 in the North Shore, Jerrel Gilliam, executive director of the nearby Light of Life Rescue Mission, confirmed Tuesday.
According to Gilliam’s estimates, about 20 people are now living in an area off Chestnut Street. The camp has about 13 tents and sees its numbers fluctuate day to day, Gilliam said.
Allegheny County Department of Human Services Acting Director Alex Jutca in a statement estimated fewer than 10 people were staying there.
Tents, some partially obscured by trees and vegetation, were pitched along a dirt path stretching from the sidewalk. There were bags, debris and a grocery cart.
The site has been used “off and on” for several years, Gilliam said. The encampment, at its peak, swelled to at least double the size population is now houses, he said.
The city and county have partnered to move people out of several encampments. They offer them shelter, which officials have said most people accept. Then the camps are “decommissioned” — torn down and marked off so people can’t return.
Officials have focused efforts largely on the Downtown area and riverfront trails.
“What we started noticing is that as they would give notice of other camps that were being shut down in other parts of the city, the same people that were in the other camps show up at the one on Chestnut,” Gilliam said. “It’s almost become this informal go-to, it appears, that when other places are shut down, people go to that location.”
According to Gilliam, that highlights an issue with the process by which officials are closing camps.
“It emphasizes if you’re not dealing with the root problem and the people individually, you’re just shuffling around people rather than solving the problem,” he said.
Each person, he said, needs tailored help to find housing suitable for their needs. That may look different for each individual.
Jutca in a statement defended the work city and county teams have done to move people from camps into indoor shelters and housing.
“The City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County share an ongoing, year-round commitment to helping people who are living outdoors to find safe shelter or housing and to keeping our public spaces safe and accessible for everyone,” Jutca said, adding that the number of encampments has dipped to “the lowest level on record.”
More than 80% of people who have moved from those encampments worked with officials to craft “tailored plans for their shelter or housing,” he continued.
A Human Services Department analysis showed people who had formerly resided in encampments subsequently saw fewer emergency department visits, more referrals to supportive housing programs and no increase in mental health crises or non-fatal overdoses in the three months following camp closures, compared to the three months prior.
Outreach teams are working with the people living in the North Shore encampment near Chestnut Street, Jutca said, to “understand their needs and support next steps.” Crews also are conducting cleanups to collect debris and maintain the area around the tents, he said.
The county did not directly address questions about whether it intends to tear down the camp.
Gilliam said he has not heard of any plans to do so. While he would eventually like to see the property put to a positive use, he reiterated that closing the camp should be a slow process that gives occupants time to find suitable housing.
Some people accept shelter only during colder months and then return to outdoor living when the weather improves if they aren’t happy with their accommodations, he said. That could be happening now.
Gilliam said the North Shore site is likely garnering more attention now because it went from being one of the area’s smaller camps to one of the largest, now that many other encampments have been torn down. He also acknowledged it’s near the 2026 NFL Draft footprint.
Gilliam has joined other advocates in calling for Pittsburgh’s homeless population to be treated humanely during the draft.