BRAINERD — The overnight shelter for unhoused people in Brainerd will remain open this summer.
Since the warming shelter opened in 2021, it has operated seasonally. But the Brainerd City Council on Monday, April 6, unanimously approved an interim use permit allowing it to remain open year-round.
The new permit runs through April 30, 2027. Shelter staff are required to share an annual report with the Council, and the permit can be brought before the Council for review sooner if the Brainerd Police Department determines The Bridge on 7th has been used in a disorderly manner.
The Bridge on 7th is run by the faith-based nonprofit Bridges of Hope.
In 2025, the organization asked the Council to approve year-round operations after the Brainerd and Baxter city councils instituted camping bans on public property.
But the Council denied the request, citing concerns about attracting people from outside the community and creating public safety issues.
Some councilors and outgoing Police Chief John Davis said Monday those concerns remain.
“But I do feel good about how we have addressed it and collaborated with them to the point where I think it would be reasonable, and I would support a year-round, one-year [interim use permit],” Davis said.
Over the last year, The Bridge on 7th and Davis worked together to create a public safety plan. The shelter also formalized partnerships with over social services organizations and created a Pathways program to help guests find jobs, housing or meet other needs.
“What I hear most is, ‘We want to help people. We want to be that community to have resources for people in our community, but with conditions and with safeguards,'” said Council member Tad Erickson, who represents southwest Brainerd, near the shelter.
