St. Cloud Asks Lincoln Center to Improve Safety, Perception Around the Facility

(KNSI) — St. Cloud and the Lincoln Center homeless shelter are vowing to work together to try and overcome public safety issues related to the facility.

That was the consensus after Monday night’s city council work session. The low-barrier shelter has been the source of numerous complaints and police calls since it opened in 2021. Council President Jeff Goerger spoke with KNSI News immediately after the meeting ended and said their hands were tied. “They’re dealing with a really tough task, but at the same time, anything that can be done to try to mitigate the effects on the neighborhood [will help]. As we found out tonight, there’s little that the council can do.”

The council was told by its legal staff that any changes to the conditional use permit would need to be agreed to by both sides. The council could revoke the CUP, but that requires a long process, and the city would need to prove substantial noncompliance with the agreement. The St. Cloud city attorney said proving that is a very high bar because the center has the same property rights as any other landowner. The city’s staff isn’t aware of any other successful CUP revocations.

Goerger says he wants to see the center be a better neighbor by making contact with all the businesses around them. “See if things are okay. [If there are] any particular issues, they’re dealing with. Where they’re not just visiting those businesses, on negative issues.”

Many area stores have complained of trespassers and thefts.

Goerger is expecting to see some improvements over the next month or two. The facility is installing individual units called PODS to house 25 residents a night. They also need to finish installing a sprinkler system. The improvements were part of an approved expansion. Operators of Lincoln Center say they hope to finish all of its improvements by July 1st.

The council is also asking the shelter to consider adding security to help keep residents safe and check for weapons. Officials are also requesting more staff training.

Goerger says the center is taking on a monumental task. “They’re doing a job that nobody else wants to do in that facility. They’re dealing with mental health issues, drug issues and alcohol issues. All of the different things that go along with a population that is not being served by anybody else.”

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