Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Shaver-Hood announced at the Sept. 9 School Committee meeting that she would like to lease a school building to Turning Point, a Wareham nonprofit focused on helping the homeless and near-homeless.

“They offer housing assistance, food, clothing, and other essential services to families and individuals in need,” Shaver-Hood said. “I also know that you’re all aware of the wonderful things Turning Point has done for our families during the holidays.” 

Turning Point has used the MacDuffy Center — the building next to the Wareham Middle School track — in past years to store and distribute goods during the charity’s holiday drive. 

Shaver-Hood said that Turning Point has been running out of room in their current location in the basement of the Church of the Nazarene.

She proposed allowing Turning Point to use a portion of the MacDuffy Center for their services. The schools would continue to use the bottom portion of the building for storage. 

The charity would pay for the heat and electricity bills, and the cost of major repairs would be split between the district and Turning Point.

“Many of our families use these services, and we have a building that would be available,” Shaver-Hood said. 

The School Committee gave Shaver-Hood permission to begin negotiations with Turning Point.