The Lincoln Center Seeking Amendments to Conditional Use Permit

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- A homeless shelter in southeast St. Cloud is seeking several amendments to its Conditional Use Permit.

Homeless Helping Homeless which operates the Lincoln Center on Lincoln Avenue Southeast will request the CUP amendments at the St. Cloud Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on Tuesday.

They would like the elimination of the 45-day maximum length of stay at the shelter. They say all of the temporary shelters in the community are finding securing permanent housing for their clients challenging given the current housing supply. The Lincoln Center currently operates in violation of the 45-day maximum length of stay with a majority of units occupied significantly longer.

The Lincoln Center wants a reduction of the minimum staffing ratio per resident. The CUP requires one staff member for every two residents. In October they were given a notice of violation regarding staffing numbers. The applicant has requested the staffing ratio be reduced to a minimum of one staff member for every 10 residents.

The Lincoln Center wants to use its West Bay as a homeless day center with increased maximum occupancy. The west and middle bays of the building have been approved for a maximum of 25 residents and 21 staff members. In October they were given a notice of violation regarding maximum occupancy. They are requesting the West Bay be allowed to function as a homeless day center with maximum occupancy increased from 21 to 40 people including residents, staff volunteers, professional outreach workers, and the general public.

The Lincoln Center also wants to use the west bay for overnight shelter during extreme weather. They want to be able to have people sleep there when the temperature falls below 32 degrees, rises above 90 degrees, or when it is raining overnight.

The Lincoln Center wants to allow sleeping in parked operational vehicles on site. They are requesting the 11 off-street parking spaces on the south side of the building be used for sleeping in vehicles with a maximum of two people per vehicle. In October they were given a notice of violation regarding sleeping in vehicles. They say all of the vehicles would be required to be operational and licensed.

The Lincoln Center also wants to allow outdoor camping on-site. They want to be allowed to have people camp on the Lincoln Center property when there is no space available within the building and the other shelters are full.

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St. Cloud city staff from multiple departments have conducted ongoing inspections of the property. The city says the Lincoln Center has operated sporadically in violation of various provisions. The most recent notice of violation was issued on October 4th. Homeless Helping Homeless has appealed the October citation.

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