Library Services for People Experiencing Homelessness

https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/letter-from-public-library-directors-and-social-workers/ This letter was written and signed by 12 American library directors and social workers and identifies some highlights of how they are working with their communities. These highlights are: Trauma-informed care Homelessness A focus on behaviour Creating welcoming spaces Person-first language It provides a great list of like-minded people in American libraries.

  Adams, C., & Krtalić, M. (2021). I feel at home: Perspectives of homeless library customers on public library services and social inclusion.  Journal of Librarianship and Information Science , 09610006211053045. This is an interesting article as it has a New Zealand perspective - so not US, and allows the experiences of the people experiencing homelessness to be heard. These are the stated goals of the study reported in the paper: "The goal of this study was, therefore, to examine homeless patrons’ perspectives on public libraries, including their use of general library services and those targeted specifically toward the homeless, and in what ways engagement with library services affects their feelings of social inclusion. In doing so, this paper aims to contribute to the literature by offering insights into what constitutes effective public library programming and targeted services for homeless people." Page 1 This study interests me because it engages with the idea th...

Barone, M., Fifelski, S., Stocker, A., Worm, T., Patterson, A., Braamse, J., & Lathers, R. S. (2020). Developing a Model Policy for Public Libraries to Address Homelessness & Mental Illness.  Delaware Journal of Public Health ,  6 (4), 46. This US article describes a student project that set out to develop policy for libraries to frame their support of people experiencing homelessness and mental illness (interesting to lump these together). As part of their project they ran a survey that had 60 responses. Each library was asked:  What specific policies were in place that pertain directly to individuals experiencing homelessness?  What was the general experience of front line staff with the homeless population?  What type of training did they receive in this area? Did their branch(es) had a social worker on site and what community collaborations were in place to better serve the homeless population? One part of the article mentions -'a trauma-informed app...

 Amanda Aykanian, Peggy Morton, Kathi Trawver, Lane Victorson, Sarah Preskitt & Kimberly Street (2020) Library-Based Field Placements: Meeting the Diverse Needs of Patrons, Including Those Experiencing Homelessness , Journal of Social Work Education, 56 :sup1, S72-S80, DOI: 10.1080/10437797.2020.1723757 The abstract of this article makes the point that libraries are places that vulnerable people visit, and that librarians, like social workers are frequently advocates and supporters of these visitors. They then go on to say that librarians may not have the skills and knowledge to deal witht he complex needs of such people and that is where social workers come in handy.  The authors identify libraries as "second responders, stepping in when needed services are unavailable or inaccessible". The authors describe how libraries emerge as a reflection of their users' needs - they design programs, spaces and resources in response to the needs of the community they serve. But ...

Interesting to see that in 2012 we were not using person-centred language - homeless patrons was the term used. People experiencing homelessness were described as having 'special needs', as having needs specifically relating to 'emotional and physical wellbeing'. They are described as presenting 'a range of needs and concerns', as having 'complex needs' and that they are a 'challenge' for librarians to work with. That these challenges are 'disruptive to library operations'. "Serving the needs of homeless people calls for library staff to be especially responsive, resourceful and creative."p.178. It will be interesting to see if this negative lens and discourse alters over time to recognise that maybe people experiencing homeless or insecure housing actually don't have needs specific to their accommodation status. Maybe they are not a 'challenge'. Maybe they just want what everyone else wants - somewhere quiet to sit ...

I often read about success stories where libraries have employed peer workers to be front-line staff at hteir branches. These workers can relate to people in the libraries and near the libraries and make them feel welcome when they may otherwise feel judged or excluded. This video is a great example of a peer worker in a public library in Denver, Colorado and the powerful influence she has on the community she works with. She is literally saving lives. Peer workers can benefit the library, its vulnerable users, and the peer worker themselves. When this works well, I can see no down-side.

  The Women's Butterfly Project is a project designed by the Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University in partnership with the QLD Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy, Q Shelter, Tenants Queensland, Mission Australia and a number of other partners. Their website can be accessed here:  https://research.qut.edu.au/best/projects/preventing-homelessness-for-mature-women-high-tech-vs-high-touch-support/   The premise of the project is to focus on women who are 55 or older, and to work with them BEFORE they become homeless, recognising that most programs and services associated with homelessness are focussed on people who are already homeless and/or impacted by long-term housing issues. The aim of the Project is to prevent homelessness before it occurs. The project connects vulnerable women with services and advice that can help them maintain their housing. The project is essentially toolkit collation of resources that are targetted at women...

Adams, C., & Krtalić, M. (2021). I feel at home: Perspectives of homeless library customers on public library services and social inclusion.  Journal of Librarianship and Information Science , 09610006211053045. This article raises an interesting point about that validity and level of acceptance and welcome experienced by library users may have a relationship to the activity they are undertaking while in the library. The participants in their study stated that sometimes they feel unwelcome in a public library if they are not reading. They are asked to move on if they are sleeping or not sitting in a chair.  " while Participant 7 was generally satisfied with library staff and services, he also explained that he sometimes felt discriminated against when staff questioned why he was sitting or lying on the floor instead of using a chair:  It seems like they pick and choose which ones to ask, you know what I mean? Yeah. If you’re not sitting there with a book, then, yeah (...