Libraries and the Homeless: "First In, Last to Leave"
Some people may think of a library as a place for books and resources. To others, a library is so much more.
"More than 610,000 people are homeless in the United States on any given night" Ellyn Ruhlmann writes, "Nearly two-thirds live in shelters or transitional housing, and the rest are unsheltered" (2014). During the day, however, homeless individuals are able to find sanctuary in the nearest library.
At a library, each and every patron is given the right to access the same resources. It doesn't matter whether or not you live under a roof. If you'd like to access the Internet, read a book, or sit in a peace, you are welcomed at the Library. It is the ideal place for safety and resources and many Library staff members make sure of that.
I have seen homeless youth and adults come into my local library. I have witnessed staff speak to them with kindness and respect and offer them the same services as they would any other individual. Where they are almost always ignored on the street, they are far from ignored in the Library.
In some libraries, not only do they offer their free informational services, but they can also offer other services as well. "In 2008, San Francisco Public Library became the nation’s first public library to hire its own fulltime psychiatric social worker, according to Michelle Jeffers, chief of community programs and partnerships. Soon after the social worker started, the library hired four health
and safety advocates (HASAs), each of whom were formerly homeless themselves" (Ruhlmann 43). Through Lava Mae, a non-profit dedicated to offering mobile hygiene services, homeless individuals are also able to access a shower right in front of San Francisco Public Library.
It is easy for some people to take libraries for granted--especially if the same services offered at the library can be accessed in the comfort of their own home. We sometimes forget that to other individuals, the library is their home.
(Written by Marjorie Anne Portillo)
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At a library, each and every patron is given the right to access the same resources. It doesn't matter whether or not you live under a roof. If you'd like to access the Internet, read a book, or sit in a peace, you are welcomed at the Library. It is the ideal place for safety and resources and many Library staff members make sure of that.
I have seen homeless youth and adults come into my local library. I have witnessed staff speak to them with kindness and respect and offer them the same services as they would any other individual. Where they are almost always ignored on the street, they are far from ignored in the Library.
 |
| Image Source |
and safety advocates (HASAs), each of whom were formerly homeless themselves" (Ruhlmann 43). Through Lava Mae, a non-profit dedicated to offering mobile hygiene services, homeless individuals are also able to access a shower right in front of San Francisco Public Library.
It is easy for some people to take libraries for granted--especially if the same services offered at the library can be accessed in the comfort of their own home. We sometimes forget that to other individuals, the library is their home.
(Written by Marjorie Anne Portillo)
Works Cited
Ruhlmann, Ellyn. "A HOME to the HOMELESS." American Libraries, vol. 45, no. 11/12, Nov/Dec2014, pp. 40-44. EBSCOhost, login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=99206614&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
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