Libraries & The Homeless: A light in the darkness

Libraries are more than collections of books.

In some areas, libraries are a community center, a hub of activity of after-school programs, toddler reading time, and technology workshops. And, for some patrons, libraries are not only a third place, but a safe one.

Many homeless patrons look to their local libraries as a place of resources they may not otherwise have access to--from free media rental and internet access to a warm space for respite.  As such, it becomes incumbent upon library staff to offer services at their facilities that not only provide typical resources, but maybe even go a step beyond.

For instance, when focusing on younger patrons,"libraries can elect to be designated as official Safe Places," providing "access to immediate help and supportive resources for all young people in crisis through a network of sites sustained by qualified agencies, trained volunteers, and businesses" (Kuver, 2015). Once a library becomes a Safe Place, the library can post a logo to identify as such (Kuver, 2015). Why should a library elect to be a Safe Place? Well, it is a neutral space that costs nothing to access and typically has business hours that extend after the school day is over--a space too far and few between these days.

Unfortunately, it is not just at-risk youth that libraries need to focus on helping. With homelessness on the rise, library staff encounter many adult patrons in need of services that exceed the New Releases section. With this in mind, many libraries now work with their local communities to provide these services.

At the Denver Public Library, staff visit "an area women's shelter to show residents how they can use a computer to search for a job and to sign them up for a library card" (Fox, 2015). At San Francisco's Public Library, they employ a social worker full-time who has helped countless patrons--many of whom now have housing (Fox, 2015). Librarians are now more than just the person who helps you find a book; now, they can help you find a job, write a resume, search for housing, or locate mental health resources, too.

As a community center, library staff must ensure they reach not just the most privileged of us, but also those who truly have a need. And as librarians and library staff with access to so many resources, academic and otherwise, we must ensure we find ways to fully support our communities.

-- Nicole

Works Cited

Fox, S. (2015, January 28). From nurses to social workers, see how public libraries are 

     serving the homeless. Retrieved April 25, 2018 from 

     https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/see-libraries-across-country-serving-

     homeless

Kuver, R. (2015). Voices of homeless youth: Community partnerships in library
     training. Young Adult Library Services, 13(2), 10-12. Retrieved April 25, 2018
     from https://login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?
     url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
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