St. Cloud Zoning Board Partially Approves Changes to Lincoln Center Homeless Shelter Permit

The St. Cloud Zoning Board of Appeals has partially granted a request from the operators of the Lincoln Center homeless shelter to amend the facility’s Conditional Use Permit. Homeless Helping Homeless, which operates the shelter, appeared before the board Tuesday night and asked for several changes: eliminating length-of-stay limits, reducing minimum staffing requirements, converting part of the building into a day center, increasing maximum capacity, and allowing people to sleep outside in tents or cars.

During the public hearing, 15 people spoke in favor of the request. Most had worked or volunteered at the shelter or had been helped by it. Nine people spoke against the request. They lived near the shelter or owned nearby businesses, and they told the board that crime, trespassing, and open drug use in the neighborhood had increased since the shelter opened. These were neighborhood concerns presented at the hearing, and the source does not report whether the board verified them.

The board agreed to change the staffing ratio from one staff member for every two residents to one staff member for every six residents. The operators had requested a ratio of one to ten. The board also agreed that the 45-day maximum stay should be re-examined. Lincoln Center Executive Director Harry Fleegel said that facility staff and county agencies should determine each individual’s timeline for leaving the site.

Community Development Director Matt Glaesman told KNSI News that the panel felt the length-of-stay rule should be modified not only for Lincoln Center but for all temporary shelter facilities in the city. The board referred the matter to the planning commission and the city council, which will make that decision. Fleegel said he was pleased that the change would extend to all shelters, adding that he knows the directors of the other shelters and that the 45-day limit is “entirely unworkable.”

Glaesman said that if the organization disagrees with any of the decisions, it may petition the city council. “The applicant must appeal within 10 days of the decision,” he said, adding that the council must then act within 30 days of that action. The source does not report whether the board ruled on the remaining requests, including the day center, the capacity increase, and outdoor sleeping, beyond the staffing and stay-limit decisions.

Fleegel said he intends to pursue an appeal. Speaking about the people staying at the shelter, he said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do tonight. Look how cold it is tonight. Now, I’m supposed to kick the people out and have them sleep outside tonight. This isn’t very humane.”

Source: Read the original report