Hundreds packed Dorchester’s Murphy School earlier this week to speak out on Pine Street Inn’s proposal to turn the hotel across the street into permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless people.

Local elected officials were in the crowd on Tuesday night to voice concern, including Dorchester Councillor Frank Baker, who said he is completely opposed to the proposal for the Comfort Inn at 900 Morrissey Boulevard.

The meeting was put together by Pine Street and The Community Builders.

Pine Street Inn is working with another nonprofit, The Community Builders, to turn the 131-room Comfort Inn into 105 to 110 studio-sized units of supportive housing. The current timeline calls for the project to go through the Boston Planning and Development Authority for approval and for the purchase of the property to occur sometime during this fall and the 2023 winter.

900 Morrissey would have round-the-clock security and the average tenant age is expected to be 57. Under the permanent supportive housing model, case managers work with tenants, who sign a one-year lease and pay a third of their income toward rent if they have the income. Rental assistance would be available to those who do not.

Another meeting on the project, sponsored by the local civic associations, is planned for Oct. 26.

In a joint statement, The Community Builders and Pine Street said they are the “beginning stages” of the community process and appreciate the feedback.

“Our collective focus remains on creating permanent supportive housing for vulnerable individuals, and we are targeting 50 of whom are already housed in apartments in Dorchester but need an accessible building,” the two organizations said. “We will continue conversations with the community and conduct additional tours of our existing properties and look forward to attending the civic associations’ meeting on October 26 to discuss further.”

In a phone interview, Councillor Baker called Pine Street a “good operator” but said, “One hundred units, potentially 200 people, is a lot to put down there.”

“It’s going to potentially be high-risk individuals,” he said.

Another rendering of 900 Morrissey. (Image via presentation from Pine Street Inn/The Community Builders)

City Councillor At-Large Erin Murphy, who lives nearby, said she also currently opposes the project. “A lot of the questions were around what’s the security,” she said, referring to the meeting.

“There’s a feeling that this isn’t the right fit,” Murphy said.

“I really don’t think they’ve done enough work ensuring the neighbors it’s going to be a benefit to the neighborhood,” she added. “There’s no way I can support it when there’s that many (opposed).”

According to a presentation made at the Tuesday night meeting, there would be exterior and interior cameras on the property, as well as fencing and landscaping.

Proponents say the conversion would increase the amount of available affordable housing in a city that desperately needs it, it would reduce traffic as fewer people are coming and going than if it were a hotel, and it would create local jobs through construction associated with the conversion and property management.

The first floor would be converted into office space for social services, a security desk, property management, common areas and storage areas. Each of the studio apartments would have a kitchenette and bathroom.

Pine Street currently manages 637 units of permanent supportive housing and has 251 units under development, according to a presentation from the nonprofit.

Others who attended the meeting at the Murphy School included Mayor Michelle Wu’s housing chief, Sheila Dillon, and Fr. Richard “Doc” Conway. The Wu administration has not taken a formal stance on the project.

Fr. Conway took the microphone to voice support. “This problem of addiction, it’s in every family. It’s in my family, as well as this guy’s family,” he said, referring to someone in the crowd. “Everybody else’s family. We’ve got to do something to change that.”