Cape Cod homeless housing program plans $5M overhaul

HYANNIS — As Betsy Allen, 68, settled onto a Champ Homes living room couch, a flash of pain passed across her face as she recalled family squabbles and mishaps in her life that have contributed to her bout of homelessness — an experience, she said, that she wishes on no one.

"Sometimes life gives you things that you don't plan on," said Allen, who has been living at Champ Homes since February 2025. "But this is a very safe place. They take good care of us here."

Allen is one of roughly 40 residents living at Champ Homes , an organization that has provided transitional housing to adults experiencing homelessness or housing instability on the Cape since 1991.

Champ Homes currently operates out of a patchwork of aging buildings across four properties. The organization, which was founded by Carolyn and Paul Hebert , had rough beginnings when a fire destroyed the original building on Main Street. The organization quickly rebounded and reopened at 82 School Street in 1996, a former school and nursing home built in 1865. Throughout the 2000s, the organization expanded its campus to include a cottage, an outdoor pavilion and designated space for people who also face substance abuse.

But now, said Champ Homes Executive Director Adam Burnett, the main School Street building is rapidly deteriorating, no longer functional, and unable to meet the needs of residents and staff.

The organization, said Burnett, sold the 82 School Street building for roughly $1.3 million on Sept. 30 but negotiated a lease-back with the new owner that allows occupancy of the space for free for a year. "This was particularly important to us while we build the new building so we could maintain the same amount of beds and help just as many people throughout the process, he said.

The organization has a capital campaign underway to raise the additional $3.7 million to build new facilities. The upgraded campus is slated to be on the west side of School Street, said Burnett.

"None of us is immune to homelessness," said Burnett, who spoke by phone on Oct. 22. "These new facilities will be a valuable resource for the folks we serve and for the community."

Current Champ Homes buildings structural, accessibility issues

The current Champ Homes facility includes the O'Neill Building, which has a capacity of 33 residents in 20 single-, double- and triple-occupancy rooms; the Libby Stevens House, which can house nine women in single or double occupancy rooms; the Bayside Cottage, which includes three single occupancy rooms; and The Ready House, which houses six men in single occupancy rooms.

The O'Neill building also includes a chapel, a community cafe, an industrial kitchen, laundry facilities, a donation room, and administrative offices.

For Burnett, the plumbing and bathroom deficiencies, heating, cooling and energy inefficiency, accessibility barriers, room configuration limitations, and functional limitations make it harder for Champ Homes residents to thrive.

"These issues can reduce the number of people we can help and, in some cases, compromise the dignity and privacy of our participants," said Burnett. "We are at a critical moment, and the lack of equity creates complications as residents continue to live their daily lives."

Capital campaign would create long-term solution

If Champ Homes can meet its goal of $5 million, said Burnett, it would pay for two new buildings, a modern residential facility, and a centralized campus hub for shared services, volunteer engagement and community support. The new main residential building will include two floors, 15 bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, three office suites, a laundry room and a nursing station, which Burnett said is critical to resident privacy.

The second building, which will be called the Campus Hub, will include a public dining room, a shared kitchen, a reflection room, a study, pantry storage and donation space.

The current residential occupancy limits, said Burnett, won't change when the new facilities are built. But the opportunity to fill beds will expand, he said. For some time, said Burnett, the current campus has had an inconsistent mix of single, double, and triple rooms — preventing the organization from matching participants with appropriate living spaces. A woman, said Burnett, may need to share a room with another woman, or someone may require a private space due to trauma or medical needs, but the building doesn't always have the right accommodations. The setup, said Burnett, lacks flexibility to adapt to changing needs.

"Right now, beds sit empty for men while women remain on a waitlist," said Burnett. "In the new building, everybody will get an equal room, which creates equity, accessibility and safety."

Despite aging buildings, residents work together

Despite the antiquated facilities, Bob Varney, 53, a Champ Homes resident, said that all of the tenants work together to maintain each space across the campus. But the issues with the buildings continue to be challenging for staff.

"This building is 100 years old and the maintenance guy has endless amounts of work to do around here," said Varney at Champ Homes on Oct. 23.

Mohamad "Mo" Mahmoud, 43, also a resident at Champ Homes, said he cleans his living space once a week, the kitchen, the bathroom, and one of the building's living rooms as well.

The residents also pay varying amounts toward rent, said Mahmoud, who was homeless for 75 days before moving into Champ Homes. The responsibility for rent and cleaning helps him to focus on improving his mental and physical health. It also helps to make the facility feel more like a family, he said.

"This is the way it's supposed to be," said Mahmoud, who has quit smoking since moving to Champ Homes. "I want to work. I want responsibility. I want to contribute."

Counting on community

The people who come to Champ Homes for help, said Burnett, are everyday people from all different walks of life.

"We are here to support all," said Burnett. "We serve the people in our lives who need the help the most."

The capital campaign, in some ways, said Burnett is a plea for area Cape Codders to invest in community and in Champ Homes. Since the organization opened, he said, it has helped roughly 3,000 navigate homelessness, and about 85% of participants have transitioned to independent living.

"The folks that come to Champ Homes are looking for a second chance. And they deserve a second chance," said Burnett. "And we think we've found a really amazing and thrilling pathway forward that can help them achieve their goals and help support them more than we have ever been able to before."

Staff writer Rachael Devaney can be reached at rdevaney@capecodonline.com .

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod homeless housing program plans $5M overhaul