WHEELING — The city of Wheeling’s new ordinance prohibiting camping on public property goes into effect at the beginning of the New Year on Monday, despite the fact that no managed homeless encampment has been established yet.

In early November, a majority of members of Wheeling City Council passed the new ordinance by a split vote of 5-2. Council members have sought a different approach to dealing with the issues surrounding the growing local homeless community. Although Mayor Glenn Elliott ultimately joined Councilwoman Rosemary Ketchum in voting against the camping ban ordinance, he has stressed that the city was “at a crossroads” with the homeless dilemma and that the “status quo” could not continue.

In the face of vocal opponents who packed council chambers to protest against the passage of the camping ban, city council passed the legislation in an amended form to include somewhat of a concession — to allow one or more managed encampments to be exempt from the prohibitions and penalties outlined in the ordinance.

The office of the city manager has the authority to approve a managed camp, and since the new ordinance was passed in early November, City Manager Robert Herron has been working with heads of local agencies that serve the homeless community on establishing rules and guidelines for a managed encampment or encampments for the homeless.

As 2023 comes to a close and the new camping ban ordinance looms, a site for a managed camp has not been designated. Although city officials agreed to allow a managed camp to be established, they at no time agreed to provide the property, staff or funding to operate it. Council members indicated that the city could assist with the establishment of a permitted homeless camp, but stressed that the site should be managed by local faith-based organizations and agencies that serve the homeless.

“I have asked groups associated with the homeless and haven’t received any appropriate suggestions yet,” Herron said this past week. “I have developed draft rules for a managed camp and sent those to various applicable agencies for comment, and I did receive some feedback.”

Herron indicated that there have been agencies that have expressed an interest in taking the lead on operating a managed camp, but the specific location and issues of logistics still need to be worked out. Officials from Catholic Charities, the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless, YWCA Wheeling, The Life Hub, Helping Heroes, Youth Services System, House of Hagar, the Salvation Army, Northwood Health Systems and other local agencies have been asked to provide input on the establishment of guidelines for a managed homeless encampment.

The working draft of the guidelines include detailed requirements involving garbage and waste management, safety protocols and checklists for health and hygiene. City permitted encampment needs and guidelines address everything from regular trash pickup to daily inspections, proper disposal of hypodermic needles, camp evacuation plans, placement of bait traps for rodent control, health screenings and orientation for new residents, procedures for handling dirty laundry and bedding, protocols for handling residents who are ill, and plans for controlling bed bugs, lice and scabies.

According to the draft guidelines, a managed camp must have hand washing stations, porta johns or toilet facilities, and shower stations depending on the location. Residents would have to sign a tenant responsibility contract upon entering the encampment to acknowledge that they understand the rules and regulations there. Residents are also expected to make efforts toward becoming permanently housed.

Dr. William Mercer, former Wheeling-Ohio County Health Administrator, founder of the local medical service outreach for the homeless Project Hope and member of the American Public Health Association’s Caucus on Homelessness, said he supports the city’s step toward establishing a managed camp, but he remains opposed to the new camping ban ordinance in the city.

Last week, Mercer said the city should not enforce the new camping ban before a managed camp is established.

The APHA Caucus on Homelessness has developed a resolution and launched a nationwide campaign to “Stop the Sweeps,” or the forced displacement of homeless individuals in a community.

“These ‘sweeps’ endanger their health and well being, and we’re concerned that this is what’s going to happen here,” Mercer said. “I think a managed camp is a good idea — in fact, I think that we need two. I know a lot of agencies have been working with the city on a managed camp, but there’s not one in place. These people have no place to go.”

The city manager noted that the camping ban will be enforced on Jan. 1.

“The people in the camps are being referred to the winter freeze shelter,” Herron said, noting that The Life Hub opened its winter shelter on Dec. 15 at its new location downtown at the former First English Lutheran Church.

However, Mercer noted that those who utilize the winter shelter are permitted to come in to sleep at night but have to be out at 8 a.m.

“Our boots are on the ground here,” Mercer said. “We get to individually know the people in the homeless community. I asked someone the other day ‘what are you going to do?’ And they said ‘I don’t know.’ They have no place else to go.”

Mercer said he wished the city would put the camping ban enforcement on hold until a managed camp is made available.

Professional treatment and availability of housing are the key components to solving the homeless crisis, the doctor indicated.

The city initiated action to dismantle a large homeless encampment in East Wheeling earlier this year after criminal complaints associated with the camp began to rise. Concerns also reached a boiling point after a city worker was allegedly assaulted by a homeless man while the city employee was attempting to clean up the trash around that area.

Notices were given that the camp was going to be removed, but homeless advocates protested to city leaders, who ultimately agreed to put the action on hold until the winter shelter opened.

Wheeling residents have told city leaders that incidents have reportedly mounted in a number of areas of the city around the Wheeling Heritage Trail and other areas frequented by homeless individuals to the point that they have stopped visiting city amenities like the dog park and bike trail.

Criminal activity around the East Wheeling camp had reportedly subsided somewhat after the first attempt to dismantle it was put on hold. However, the city manager last week indicated that the number of complaints had begun to escalate once again in recent weeks.

The city manager’s office has been working on protocols and procedures with the Wheeling Police Department, Wheeling Fire Department and the city Operations Department to enforce the new camping ban as soon as it goes into effect Jan. 1.

New signage has been posted at the city’s entrances and in areas around town where homeless encampments are common have been posted, alerting people to the new ordinance and warning that there will be no trespassing permitted on these pieces of public property.