We are troubled by reports that Wheeling officials have destroyed an encampment where community members experiencing homelessness were living. This action would be wrong under normal circumstances, but is particularly dangerous public policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Destroying encampments will force people to move throughout the community and potentially break connections with service providers. This will increase the likelihood of spreading infectious diseases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which explicitly warns against the destruction of homeless individuals’ encampments during this time.
Depriving these community members of the few belongings they had not only lacks compassion -- it also does nothing to solve public safety and property crime concerns. In fact, it will likely make things worse.
We call on the officials responsible for this to find immediate alternative housing solutions for those affected. They must also publicly commit to not moving forward on dismantling other encampments. We will continue to monitor this situation closely.