THE CHURCH
Mosaic Christian Community in St. Paul, Minnesota
THE CHALLENGE
Temporary housing and shelters aren’t a long-term solution for homelessness.
ONE BIG IDEA
Build tiny homes on church property that provide community and resources.
Just north of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, Mosaic Christian Community brings together a diverse group of people. Their mission is reflected in their name. Although a ministry of the Church of the Nazarene, Mosaic’s rhythms and ministries do not look like a “regular” Nazarene church. Outside of Sunday gatherings, the church is a center for the community to connect with each other, with Christ and with social services that community members need.
One of these ministries, Sacred Settlement Mosaic, is looking to tackle homelessness.
Social science data indicates homelessness isn’t solved by shelters or other temporary housing. Settled, a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving chronic homelessness, took that data and created a framework called “Sacred Settlements” for churches that are looking to effectively help the unhoused.
Ricky Campbell is a member of Mosaic Christian Community and also works for Settled. He and his wife Meredith co-lead Sacred Settlement Mosaic.
“Settled has the model, the research, and the nuts and bolts of what it takes to establish a Sacred Settlement,” he explains. “They were looking for churches to step up and say yes, and since hospitality to the stranger is key to everything we do at Mosaic, this was right in our wheelhouse.”
Following Settled’s framework, the church built a tiny home community on church property. Four of the small homes house formerly unhoused people, and two are reserved for “intentional neighbors” or church members who decide to live in the community.
Members eat together weekly and gather in a common space for other needs like laundry or simply socializing. The ministry connects Sacred Settlement members to social services they need, such as finding permanent jobs and restarting their lives.
Campbell says that two-and-half years in, the ministry is a success. “No longer do [residents] have to worry about their next meal, or whether or not somebody’s going to rob them, or if they are going to have to move their tent. They are stable in tiny homes with a church community that is supporting them and loving them, and they’re able to live into that more abundant life.”