School committee tables shelter discussion, requests legal briefing and shelter representatives

The Barnstable School Committee voted unanimously to postpone further action on a proposed relocation of a homeless shelter to 460 West Main Street and asked the district’s school attorney and representatives from HACC and Catholic Charities to appear at the committee’s April 1 meeting.

Residents who live or work near the proposed site urged the committee to press for more information and to seek assurances about operations and safety. Rick Bridal, who said he has about 30 years’ experience working with people experiencing homelessness, told the committee he was “a bit concerned about the relocation to the 460 West Main Street because of the juxtaposition to the schools,” and described program practices he said could lead to people congregating in nearby wooded areas and businesses.

Paul Phelan, a resident who said he watches the budget carefully, told the committee he was surprised by how little outreach some neighbors had received and urged officials to oppose the location. “Seventy percent of these people, the homeless clients, have health, mental health, and addiction issues, and some have criminal records,” Phelan said, urging the committee to send a letter to town council and shelter operators.

Committee members cited both community concern and legal limits to their authority. A chair’s report noted that school attorney Mark Terry had told the district the school committee “has no direct authority or responsibility for the actual proposed homeless shelter.” Committee member Andre (name used in meeting) cited public-safety data and told the committee he had received a report that Barnstable Police had 227 calls for service to the current facility on Winter Street in the last two years; another member noted that total calls may exceed 300.

After discussion, a motion to table the shelter conversation until April 1 and invite the school attorney, HACC, Catholic Charities and the police was moved and passed unanimously. Committee members said the April 1 meeting should first clarify the committee’s legal avenues under the Dover Amendment and then, as appropriate, invite other stakeholders to explain program operations and safety measures.

The committee’s next procedural step is the April 1 meeting, at which members said they expect legal guidance and representatives of HACC and Catholic Charities to appear. No policy or formal restriction on the shelter’s relocation was adopted at this meeting.