Planned Move Of Hyannis Shelter Meets Resistance: Report

HYANNIS, MA — Plans to move a Hyannis homeless shelter to another site in the village are drawing criticism from the Barnstable School Committee and the public.

That’s because the new location of St. Joseph House, at 460 West Main St., would be close to an elementary school, the Boston Herald reported Monday.

Making the move there from a couple of miles away, at 77 Winter St., would allow the 50-bed shelter to provide additional services, owner Housing Assistance Corp. has said.

But members of the committee have expressed concerns that the new site could pose safety risks for students.

It would be about a 5-minute walk from Hyannis West Elementary School, which has roughly 300 students from kindergarten through grade 3.

But the Winter Street site, where the shelter has operated since the 1980s, has long operated near public schools, Housing Assistance Corp. has pointed out. A short walk away is the Barnstable Community Innovation School, which also teaches kindergarten through grade 3.

The debate has prompted a group of local residents to appeal the building permit for the new site, a matter that may go to the Barnstable Zoning Board of Appeals in June.

To read the Herald story, click here.

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