HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Comment from Mort in Support6/10/2026
To the members of the Barnstable Zoning Board of Appeals,
This evening you are presiding over the appeal of the relocation of the St. Joseph's House
homeless shelter, currently located at 77 Winter Street in Hyannis. As I understand it, the
appeal is based on the alleged misapplication of the Dover Amendment as it applies here.
From my understanding, this particular issue has been heard both locally, and at the state
level with support from the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. The Massachusetts
Attorney General's Office has agreed with Building Commissioner Brian Florence's
assessment that the Dover Amendment applies here, and appellates have not shown any
legal error in the issuance of the building permit.
All of that notwithstanding, I came here to highlight some comments that have been made
regarding the concern some may have with this relocation. Just today, a candidate for
County Commissioner, Eric Schwaab, called this public hearing "THE GREATEST SHOW
ON EARTH". His emphasis, not mine.
Homelessness is not a spectator sport. It is not entertainment. The people who rely on
these services are not circus animals. These are people facing some of the most difficult
circumstances of their lives, circumstances that some don't survive. They are your
constituents, for those in the room who are in or running for elected office. They are our
neighbors, they are a part of our community, they are human beings worthy of compassion,
respect, and dignity. They are some of the most vulnerable and underrepresented voices in
our community.
Residents may reasonably disagree about the location of a shelter, traffic impacts,
services provided and the means of delivery, neighborhood concerns, etc. Those are
legitimate subjects for public discussion. But elected officials, and those running for
office, as well as those in a position of power such as yourselves, should be elevating the
conversation and including constituents, not blocking them on social media,
dehumanizing them by name calling, and dismissing their support of this relocation
entirely. NOT reducing this effort to a circus.
When discussions about homelessness are reduced to entertainment, and when those
working towards housing solutions are summarily dismissed rather than heard, it becomes
easier to lose sight of the human beings on the other end of this discussion. Those who
would be directly affected by decisions made in these rooms. I was once one of them. I
spent time, albeit mercifully brief, living outside when I had no home, and experienced
homelessness in its many forms. I am not a drug addict. I am not an alcoholic. I am not a
criminal. I always had a job. I consider myself one of the more fortunate who was able to
get off the streets.
Housing and homelessness are some of the biggest challenges the Cape faces, county
wide. These issues will not be solved by the delay, disruption, and wholesale opposition to
every housing initiative county wide.
Please let this hearing not be the circus some claim it to be, want it to be. I hope the focus
of this appeal remains where it belongs, on the merits of the appeal itself, the applicable
law, and our collective responsibility to address homelessness with dignity, compassion,
and practical solutions.
Meaghan Mort, RN
(774) 487-4896
OllieUp! Inc, Founder
www.facebook.com/capecodollie
www.capecodwomenforchange.com