Homeless encampments along Three Rivers Heritage Trail stir safety concerns among trail users

PITTSBURGH — A new homeless encampment that popped up along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail has some trail users worried about their safety. A nonprofit organization called Friends of the Riverfront also posted on social media asking people to use caution in the area.

“This year, it has reached its peak, but perhaps, it might get worse,” said Friends of the Riverfront Trail Steward Cindy Fraer.

Fraer and her husband live in Washington County. But for 15 years, they’ve been driving 40 miles each way, sometimes weekly, to enjoy the Three Rivers Heritage Trail in Pittsburgh.

“When we rode through there two weeks ago, and it was so bad, I said to my husband I think it’s time to find alternative trails,” Fraer said.

Tents are lining both sides of the trail in front of the Allegheny County Jail under the Parkway East.

“Now, there are possibly 40 tents there,” Fraer said.

On Facebook, Friends of the Riverfront wrote: “Please be aware that the Eliza Furnace section of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail is experiencing encroachment from surrounding encampments and there are reports of off-leash dogs in the area. We ask that trail users use caution on this portion of trail.  Please report safety concerns to 911, or contact 311 or us at friends@friendsoftheriverfront.org for any non-emergency issues. We thank you for your understanding and invite you to check out our information page regarding unhoused encampments.”

“No one has ever approached us,” Fraer said  “They’ve never harmed us in any way. It’s disheartening to see this, and I just don’t know what is the City trying to do to control the situation.”

Channel 11 reached out to Mayor Ed Gainey’s office, who shared this statement:

“The City of Pittsburgh staff work hard every day to ensure safety and accessibility for everyone who uses the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. Since the closure of Second Avenue Commons, we have increased our collaboration with Allegheny County, non-profit and volunteer groups, and unhoused individuals to meet the moment. Unhoused individuals are provided with trash bags that they use to bag trash nightly; DPW picks up the trash every morning and ensures that nothing is blocking the trail. In addition, Public Works and the ROOTs outreach team work together once a week to remove unused tents and other large items. At the request of unhoused individuals and residents who use the trail and adjacent facilities, our police have increased their patrols and are making sure that dogs are leashed. Law enforcement does not believe that the Three Rivers Heritage Trail is a high crime area, though of course we encourage everyone to call 911 if they see something that concerns them.

Like Friends of the Riverfront and others who value our bike and pedestrian infrastructure, we care for the health of our trails and the people who are living adjacent to them. The crisis of homelessness is rooted in a complex mix of rising rents, low wages, domestic violence and mental health and substance use disorders; creating solutions like affordable housing and re-opening mental health beds takes time, more time than anyone would like. We acknowledge the reasonable expectation of enjoyment of our trails, and we invite people to track and support progress by joining the 500 in 500 initiative, by supporting Fair Housing zoning, and by appreciating the efforts of everyone who is grappling to end homelessness.”

Pittsburgh Public Safety officials say they did receive complaints about an unleashed dog at the encampment, but not in recent weeks. They are aware that the encampment is growing and say outreach staff and officers are in the area frequently. A statement reads:

“With the fire at Second Avenue Commons, our county’s already strained shelter system is experiencing even greater strain. While the Department is aware that this encampment has grown larger and more visible, we receive very few calls for reported public safety incidents.

Our Office of Community Health and Safety outreach staff are at the trail several times every week continuing to support the unhoused community through their array of programmatic offerings, including service connection and resource navigation. Additionally, Co-Response/Zone 2 officers are at the encampment on a daily basis—including bicycle officers who regularly come through to ensure the safety of both encamped residents and the general public.

Lastly, DPW crews routinely come through to clean up garbage and regularly serviced portable toilets have been placed for individuals to use.”

“My husband and I are not anti-homeless,” Fraer said. “We want to help resolve the problem, but we still want to be able to enjoy the City without feeling unsafe.”

Besides volunteering for the Friends of the Riverfront, Fraer and her husband also have been working with the homeless for nearly 20 years.

“We need to be helping them,” Fraer said. “The homeless that want to get back on their feet. We need to help them do that instead of just housing them and just giving them all these resources. There are so many places where they can eat and get clothing and things like that but we need to be helping to figure out how to get them back, plugged into society with jobs.”

You can read more about what the Friends of the Riverfront says it’s doing about the unhoused encampments along the trail by clicking here.

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