Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
The Associated Press
St. Cloud, Minn.

Tiny house for homeless sits empty in St. Cloud

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Empty tiny house
This tiny house sits outside of St. John's Episcopal Church in St. Cloud, MInn.
Briana Sanchez | St. Cloud Times via AP

A tiny house intended for the homeless remains empty in St. Cloud.

A zoning board of appeals has denied a request by St. John's Episcopal Church to allow the house to be used as a residential structure, the St. Cloud Times reported.

The 132-square-foot house sits on wheels and is on the church grounds. The St. Cloud Coalition of Homeless Men had hoped to place a resident there when the house was donated to the group in May.

But the St. Cloud Zoning Board of Appeals last month denied a request to amend the church's conditional use permit to allow the house to be used as a residential structure there.

"We really don't know what the next option is," coalition president Tina Lamberts said.

Meanwhile, the prospective resident is still sleeping on a friend's couch.

The house was donated by the Central Minnesota Jobs & Training Services: Youth Build out of Willmar.

Electricity to the tiny house is provided by plugging into an exterior outlet. A continuous water supply can be maintained by attaching a hose, but it also contains a 32-gallon freshwater tank. The toilet is a marine model, operating in much the same fashion as a diaper pail, and the waste eventually can be disposed of in the trash.

The house most closely resembles a recreational vehicle, and that's where the problem lies. RVs are not permitted for use as full-time residences under existing city zoning laws.

"We certainly aren't opposed to finding houses for the homeless," St. Cloud Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman Drew Hultgren said. "It was rejected simply because there isn't anything in the land development code that would have permitted it."

Hultgren said that because the closest classification the house fits is an RV, "unless the code changes, it was the board's consensus that we couldn't approve it."

The coalition decided not to appeal the board's decision to the St. Cloud City Council because of the additional expense required to continue a process that had already cost $600.

"What we need to find out now is if there is a way it can be classified as something other than an RV," Lamberts said. "Or if there's not, is there any option we can find that would provide a way to allow a person to live there."