Winter Closure of the Wheeling Homeless Camp

Wheeling, West Virginia has been known for years as “The Friendly City,” but that title must be called into question after the recent motion by the Wheeling City Council to close the city’s homeless camp, which is an exempted location from their citywide ban on homelessness. They are closing it December 1st, which is the beginning of one of the coldest and snowiest months of the year, with no plan in place to aid these disadvantaged people.

The original plan was to always have this exempted location available to these people, but now the council is going back on their word and leaving these already struggling people in a much more difficult situation. 

Community advocate Vincent DeGeorge said, “About two years ago, Wheeling city council passed a ban on homelessness. They passed that ordinance saying they wanted to work toward a managed camp, and they put that language in the ordinance: that the city manager could exempt a location. Every councilor that voted for the ban said they wanted a managed camp, and that’s the only way it passed was on those promises. Then, this past week at the city council meeting, they decided to close that exempted location. They directed the city manager to enforce the camping ban everywhere in Wheeling despite their promises to only pass the ban with a managed camp.”

Not only that, but the current council has no plan in place to help these people now that they have essentially uprooted their entire lives with minimal warning. 

Susan Brossman of Street MOMs, a nonprofit under HOH-share, said, “The 73 folks currently living there will have no place to go in the city where they are legally allowed to be. There is no alternative plan for them as of today, October 31st.”

Mark Phillips, Director of Catholic Charities West Virginia, said, “I understand the city’s desire to address safety, sanitation, and public-order concerns. The visible presence of unsheltered camps weighs on neighbors, businesses, and the city’s image. But I worry that a “closure” or relocation without sufficient equivalent services is not a solution — it can simply move the problem, make it worse for people who are vulnerable, and be less humane.”

One might assume that the council would have at least coordinated with the homeless outreach community before effectively ruining the lives of around 70 people, but in actuality, they had no such communication.

DeGeorge said, “Those who voted to direct the city manager to close the camp all said that there were adequate shelter beds so that nobody had to sleep outdoors through the winter. That is simply not true. Multiple homeless outreach providers have spoken out publicly bringing clarity to the fact that the shelters are already full and there are seventy-ish people staying at the camp right now. So, no, there is no plan in place for the people staying at the camp to get indoors, there isn’t enough room, and we’re coming during this peak in homelessness that coincides with the opioid epidemic that we do not have solutions for.” 

Phillips also said, “Treating homelessness primarily as a matter of ‘clearing out’ the camp sends the wrong message: that folks are just a nuisance to be relocated rather than human beings with complex needs– mental health, addiction, trauma, lack of affordable housing– that must be addressed. This closure will not help people experiencing homelessness unless matched by the resources and supports needed to ensure people are truly helped, not merely moved.”

The exempted location was created to provide a solution to the problem they exacerbated through their ban, but now they are simply removing their solution and not only keeping the problem, but further worsening it. While some people such as DeGeorge and Brossman are working with the homeless community and several outreach programs, there will certainly be a deficit after this exempted location closes. 

“Most individuals will stay in Wheeling, but may lose proximity to services they rely on. Being farther from meals, restrooms, case-managers, showers, laundry, health supports means increased vulnerability. The trauma of relocation, the uncertainty, the distance from resources, the possible decrease of case‐manager contact—all of this can disempower someone trying to move toward stability,” said Phillips. 

“We visit the camp regularly and help each unhoused individual make their next right step to move forward in life. That looks different for each person. We are very disheartened that the camp is closing. The exempted camp is currently the only ‘legal’ place that homeless folks are permitted to be. The city provides water, a dumpster, and two porta-potties. On December 1, 2025, the cap will close at 5:00 p.m. per the city manager,” said Brossman.

December is one of the harshest months of the year to be without shelter or adequate supplies, especially in our region, and to bar them from accessing those human needs right before that season is nothing short of inhumane. 

DeGeorge said, “I think the biggest thing that we can do is contact our mayor and city council and ask them to not make life harder on our neighbors by banning them, allowing the exempted location to stay open through the winter, and allocating resources to both making a plan and implementing that plan.”

Brossman also said, “We are continuing to do what we do, provide warm winter clothing, help folks get IDs, fill out housing apps, work with other providers, and support in any way we can. Citizens should be fully aware of what is going on and continue to be aware as things unfold. Contacting council members is encouraged if felt led to do so, such as writing letters or making phone calls.” 

There are many organizations in Wheeling that would accept aid, such as the Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling, the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless, and others. In response to this announcement, Wheeling needs to fight against this absolute injustice and do what they can to help those affected.

While bans on homelessness have been spreading around the country and state, it is a relatively new legislative trend, having only been created within the past three years. Before that, homelessness bans were largely unprecedented, and Wheeling should strive to be the change that sets an example for the rest of the United States. 

Phillips said, “When there are people visibly suffering and without adequate support, it impacts public health, safety, the local economy, the social fabric. If unsheltered individuals are forced into remote, unsafe locations, or left in limbo, the risk of emergency response increases, which burdens local services. Perhaps most importantly, I believe that a city that discards or sidelines its most vulnerable members undermines the dignity of the community, damages trust and cohesion, and clashes with the values we tell ourselves we hold.”

DeGeorge said, “I’ll echo what the Director of Catholic Charities Mark Phillips said, that our mayor was correct to call this situation a failure. It is a failure of our education system, our housing system, our drug treatment system, and in the face of failure, we can’t just give up. We need to be neighbors to one another, and as publicly elected leaders, we need to provide solutions to these problems, not bans to cover them up.”

It is clear to see through recent events– such as the loss of SNAP benefits for families in need– our country is taking a turn for the worse, and Wheeling should try to be a city that encourages change, not conformity. Donate to those in need, call or write to your council members, and protest against the closure of the one place that these homeless people can be that is accepting of their situation. It is time for Wheeling to live up to its name as “The Friendly City.”

Phillips said, “I ask our community to remember the human face of this issue. Every person experiencing homelessness is someone’s neighbor, someone’s brother or sister, someone with hopes, hurts, gifts. Our response will define the character of Wheeling. Let us choose hope, dignity, and action.”