Homeless medical respite facility advances over Uptown business objections

Lakeshore Care, a company created earlier this year, has received a key city approval to establish a 24-bed medical respite center for homeless people in Minneapolis’ Uptown business district despite the vociferous protestations of neighboring business owners.

The embattled project, proposed for 918 W. Lake St., has received overwhelmingly negative public comments through two separate attempts to obtain city permits in recent months. Lakeshore Care applied first for a conditional use permit through the Planning Commission in June, with discussions delayed numerous times as community members complained about a lack of engagement. In response, city staff suggested Lakeshore Care submit a new application for an interim use permit, which would allow the center to operate for a trial period of up to five years.

Medical respite is a service for homeless people with acute health problems who have been released from the hospital but are still too sick to be on the streets. The city’s zoning code categorizes medical respite facilities as emergency overnight homeless shelters, but they are not. Lakeshore Care proposes to only accept clients discharged with doctor’s orders for stays up to 60 days. The Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan allows “emergency shelters” as a conditional use in all zones of the city including the Uptown commercial district.

Still, some Uptown business owners testified at a public hearing before City Council members earlier this month that services should be relegated to industrial zones rather than business districts because the presence of homeless people makes their customers uncomfortable. Others raised concerns about Lakeshore Care being an untested for-profit company, and whether it will be able to provide healing in small, windowless living quarters without outdoor green space.

Business owners who spoke against the facility have received one-star online reviews. In the days after a fire destroyed an apartment building immediately across from 918 W. Lake St., displacing tenants and shutting down a day spa whose owner had been critical of Lakeshore Care, panic spread among business owners who suspected the arson had been retaliatory as well. Police eventually arrested a homeless man, but the charges established no connection between his alleged motives and the debate raging over Lakeshore Care’s permitting.

Brenna Wernersbach, owner of MoonStone MPLS gift shop, said they have not appreciated how the public vetting of Lakeshore Care has devolved into an entrenched fight between people who don’t want homeless people around and advocates who find that position immoral. Wernersbach believes there are legitimate, unanswered questions about the provider.

“They say they have the experience, but they don’t elaborate,” Wernersbach said. “On the one hand, this is a safe and serene environment with proximity to medical centers, and that’s why they want to put it here, but then they’ll turn around and say it’s not even safe enough to have windows.”

Established nonprofits that have provided medical respite beds in the Twin Cities for years include the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and Union Gospel Mission.

Lakeshore Care declined multiple interview requests from the Star Tribune. Operations manager Zakaria Suleman said in an email that the center’s medical director does not want to be identified, but that Lakeshore’s “team is well-versed in supporting patients with diverse backgrounds and needs.”

In a City Council committee meeting on Sept. 10, Suleman and Lakeshore Care owner Ali Warsame said they plan to hire mental health counselors, substance abuse specialists and 24-hour security guards. They said the facility would have an interior and exterior surveillance system, and “strict” anti-loitering and curfew policies.

“This facility will provide a safe and supportive space where individuals can regain their health, access critical follow-up care, and receive the necessary support to transition back into the community,” Suleman said at the meeting.

Lakeshore Care has attended meetings with nearby neighborhood associations that were arranged by Council Member Aisha Chughtai’s office. Council Member Michael Rainville suggested the licensing committee postpone its vote until Lakeshore Care could also engage the Uptown business community.

On Sept. 18 Lakeshore Care invited a few business owners to a private Zoom meeting on the following day. Many business owners could not get time off on such short notice, but passed around the link so others who were not invited could attend.

“There’s been a lot of concerns with how this meeting was scheduled on short notice, why it is only virtual and not on-site, why it is not open to the public, and why it cannot be rescheduled for a time before the decision on the 24th,” wrote State Farm agent Lawrence Thomas to city staff in an email shared with the Star Tribune. “I hope this helps illustrate some of the concerns so many of my neighbors have here in Uptown.”

On Tuesday the business and licensing committee approved Lakeshore Care’s application after the owner agreed to install skylights, staff one security guard for every eight patients and appoint a community liaison officer to maintain communication with neighboring residents and businesses

The facility still requires full City Council approval and state licenses. The state Department of Human Services’ enrollment process for new recuperative care operators is currently paused due to “systems work related to claims processing,” said spokesman Scott Peterson, who did not immediately answer when enrollment will reopen.

Lakeshore Care’s application materials say the facility aims to open in January.