Minneapolis OKs letting unsheltered people sleep in cars overnight in supervised lots
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The Minneapolis City Council approved a policy that would allow unsheltered residents to sleep overnight in their cars at designated and supervised parking lots. The council voted 9-4 in favor of the new ordinance.
“We have incredible need for places for people who are sleeping in their cars to go,” said Council member Soren Stevenson, who voted in favor of the measure. “Across the metro, there are literally untold numbers of people who are sleeping in their car on any given night.”
The policy is based on a similar program in Duluth, and is made up of two ordinances: one that modifies the zoning code to allow for such spaces, and another that tackles the rules and process for potential operators to get a license. The ordinance would require the operator, whether that be a nonprofit, religious organization or government agency, to have staff on-site at all times, a public safety plan approved by the police department and accessible bathrooms and trash services.
The ordinance secured just enough votes to be veto-proof as it heads to the mayor’s desk for approval. However, one of the aye votes was from council member Linea Palmisano, who said she was “cautiously” supporting it.
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Palmisano said if a partner was willing to financially support the program, that would be “great,” but warned against the city funding the program. The ordinance does not put the funding obligation on the city and takes inspiration from the Duluth program that is primarily funded through donations and grants.
”I do not consider sleeping in your car safe housing,” Palmisano added. “I would like us as a city, more focused on moving people into shelters where they receive those wraparound services and the support that they need to move into more permanent housing and stability.”
Others argued it would be safer for people who are already sleeping in their cars to have a secure place to go —and that such spaces would be a way to connect people with services who are hidden in their cars and might not be reached otherwise.
Council member Aisha Chughtai said this would offer an alternative when people can’t access shelter and serve as an early intervention for people who might be experiencing homelessness for the first time.
“We need more tools, not less, to address this crisis. We need to meet this crisis with care and creativity and not warrant the same old hoping for a different result,” said Chughtai, who co-authored the ordinance with Jason Chavez and Aurin Chowdhury.
The three have been working with city staff on the “Safe Outdoor Parking” ordinance for years and have collaborated on other initiatives to change the city’s approach to unsheltered homelessness.
That includes an ordinance Mayor Jacob Frey blocked at the end of 2025 that would have codified a public health response and closure protocol at encampments, including a one-week notice period before most clearings. Frey and others who opposed it argued it would encourage encampments, while those in support said it offered a more humane response.
As for the latest ordinance, Mayor Frey has not said whether or not he will veto it. But after it moved forward last week, a spokesperson said his immediate priority was ensuring the continued funding and sustainability of the county’s shelter system as it faces a shortfall, adding he planned to continue conversations about the ordinance leading up to the final vote.
