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Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025

Do ‘sacred settlement’ tiny houses in Minnesota have a religious requirement for residents?

Deanna Pistono, MinnPost
no

The two “sacred settlements” currently operating in Minnesota — Sacred Settlement Mosaic in St. Paul and Sacred Settlement: Prince of Peace in Roseville — do not require that residents believe in a particular religion or attend religious services to live in the community. 

These settlements of tiny houses, built on church property, are set up to provide housing and support to people who are unhoused. Residents live alongside  “intentional neighbors,” who have moved into the settlements to provide community. The idea of sacred settlements is the brainchild of Settled, a Minnesota nonprofit. 

According to Settled, it is up to individual churches to define residency requirements for their tiny houses. Currently, however, all intentional neighbors in these settlements are people of faith. 

Another sacred settlement, associated with the Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove, is set to open in 2026, and it’s not yet known what its requirements will be.

See a full discussion of this at MinnPost

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