PITTSBURGH — As Major League Baseball's All-Star game approaches, Allegheny County authorities plan to open a special shelter for homeless people, and "safety ambassadors" for a local development group will patrol city streets.

But city and county officials insist that's no indication that there will be a sweep of the homeless from Pittsburgh's streets.

"We're taking a very compassionate approach to indigents and homeless people, kind of similar to what we do in the winter months when the weather is severe," said Dick Skrinjar, a spokesman for Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor.

"For you and I, we have the ability to alter our schedule, to maybe not go downtown for the weekend," said Kevin Evanto, a spokesman for County Executive Dan Onorato. "The homeless, they don't have a place to go to seek refuge and respite."

Pittsburgh has been on a cleaning frenzy as it prepares to host the July 11 All-Star game, which is expected to bring 250,000 visitors to the city. In areas around PNC Park and beyond, thousands of tons of debris, hundreds of abandoned cars and an estimated 2,000 tires have been hauled away.

Other cities that have taken similar measures before major sporting events have also taken steps to reduce the number of homeless people on the streets. In Detroit, thousands of homeless people were invited to Rescue Mission Ministries to watch the game on wide-screen televisions and enjoy food and nonalcoholic drinks.

Pittsburgh plans to open a shelter at Smithfield United Church of Christ from July 7 to July 11 that will offer services similar to those provided during cold winter nights. And the Pittsburgh Development Partnership will have eight "safety ambassadors" patrolling city streets to help guide wandering tourists and to report illegal activities such as panhandling.

"They will be acting in a hospitality capacity for visitors who are unfamiliar with downtown," said Mary Ellen Solomon, a spokeswoman for the development group. "They will also be helping as extra eyes and ears for the police."

But one advocate for the homeless — whose church is also playing host to the special shelter — said the timing of the moves suggests that officials are motivated by more than altruism.

"We want to clean up our act, put our best foot forward, and I'm all for that," said the Rev. Doug Patterson, senior minister at the Smithfield United. "But these are human beings we're talking about. You can't just sweep them under the carpet."

Michael Glass, the director of Northside Common Ministries, which runs a homeless shelter for men, said his organization has been encouraged to keep its doors open during the All-Star game. The shelter is usually open only at nights, he said.

Police and government officials stressed that there would be no forcible roundup of the homeless.