While a decision has yet to be finalized on the relocation of St. Joseph’s House from Main Street to West Main Street, plenty of local residents and school officials have weighed in with many questions and concerns.
Catholic Charities and Housing Assistance Corporation plan to relocate the 50-bed St. Joseph’s House from its current spot at 77 Winter St. to 460 West Main St. Community members have been vocal because the new location is about a football field away from Hyannis West Elementary School. Advocates for the move say the current building is outdated and unsafe. Opponents cite concerns about public safety, loitering, and the new site’s proximity to schools.
According to Superintendent Sara Ahern, the School Committee has various safety concerns when it comes to school arrival, recess, litter and encampments in the neighborhood. Protecting “the privacy of the schools” is her top priority.
In a letter to Alisa Magnotta, CEO Housing Assistance Corporation and Susan Mazzarella, CEO Catholic Charities from Kathleen Bent, Chair of the School Committee, she wrote that their main concerns consist of safety priorities with staff and students and the potential financial effect the schools would have to take on for additional security. The letter outlined the following four bullet points they’d like to see addressed.
- Reconsider the proposed location and evaluate alternative sites that are not in direct proximity to three Barnstable schools.
- Conducts a comprehensive public safety and community impact assessment prior to implementation
- Engage in meaningful dialogue collectively with schools officials, parents, and public safety agencies
- Identify additional funding sources to support any necessary security enhancements required to maintain student and staff safety before the shelter opens.”
A group of Hyannis residents is appealing the permit to relocate the shelter. The dispute also involves differing interpretations of the Dover Amendment, a law affecting zoning for religious and education property uses. A zoning appeal hearing for the relocation was postponed earlier this month due to a large crowd exceeding the room’s capacity. The hearing has been rescheduled for July 22 at a larger venue to accommodate public interest.
At BHS, history teacher Samantha Lindquist’s F block history class has focused their civics action project on the controversial plan to relocate the shelter so close to schools. The focus of their project was to help come up with alternate places the shelter could relocate to that would make everyone happy, and to also shift the narrative on homelessness so there isn’t such a negative narrative on unhoused individuals.
The class had reached out to the shelter but did not hear back, said junior Leah Bertling, when she presented her group’s project. With the survey the class had created, students found people’s main concern is the safety of the elementary school children, and then the community’s lack of understanding on the issue. Loitering or traffic near school grounds was also concerning. 40.9% of people surveyed said they rarely interact with unhoused individuals, 24.6% of people said never, 16.8% of people said monthly and 12.1% of people said weekly.
One of the posters from an action project on display said: “From Judgement to Understanding: The common perception of homelessness needs a shift from judgment to understanding. Unhoused individuals are not a separate category of people defined by their circumstances; they are our neighbors , coworkers, and classmates who have been failed by systemic gaps and fell to a financial breaking point. When a single medical emergency, a sudden job loss, or a lack of affordable housing can cost someone their home, homelessness can be seen for what it truly is: a systemic crisis, not a personal failure. By recognizing the shared humanity of people experiencing housing insecurity, we can replace stigma with empathy and focus on building the supportive solution everyone deserves.”
For more information visit the Housing Assistance website.
