LT130 Libraries and Social Media (Spring 2017)

­Libraries and the Homeless
By Lori Schafer 

Fact Sheet:  Homelessness in California
http://stran.senate.ca.gov/sites/stran.senate.ca.gov/files/homelessness_in_california_nov_2015.pdf

On the television news I heard that the population has doubled in the past few years in San Diego. With the rising costs of housing, inflation, stagnant wages and housing shortages it would seem that this is affecting all cities throughout the country. There was also a follow-up news story on KPBS radio on how the San Diego Public Library was training it’s personnel on how to help and interact with the homeless population that uses the libraries as sanctuaries from the streets on a daily basis. I was so moved from hearing this story that I thought this would be a great library to seek employment. Public libraries have always been a safe haven for people who have nowhere else to go and now with all of the additional services being offered such as computer & internet access, workshops for all ages, employment help, free tax preparation assistance, etc. they are increasingly becoming involved in the city’s efforts to reduce homelessness. As mentioned in an online article titled Enlisting Public Libraries to Help Fight Homelessness, “Libraries are safe, open for long hours, and offer everything from public bathrooms to a place for people to search for online job listings. I think libraries are fully equipped and ready to address community needs, and this is another community need” (Quinton, 2016).

Public libraries are increasingly training library staff and hiring outreach workers to handle the homeless patrons who struggle with mental problems, addictions, depression, or just emotionally unstable over a recent crisis. According to this online article these workers are trained to “do everything from giving directions to nearby food banks, to escorting victims of domestic violence to battered women’s shelters and helping patrons get state ID cards” (Quinton, 2016). Many libraries also create printed materials like flyers and pamphlets that they hand out to homeless patrons to help them figure out how to find help, food or shelter within their local community. One of the most important qualities the library offers to homeless patrons is the “physical space” that provides them with an escape from outside elements and a place to escape loneliness and feel some sense of safety while being around other people. As noted in the article A Trip to the Library:  Homelessness and Social Inclusion with regards to homeless patrons, “In considering exclusionary practices that haunt the lives of homeless people, we need to consider that, as citizens, they have rights to participate in prime places where civic life occurs” (Hodgetts et al., 2008, p. 934).  The library is a “neutral” space as well where homeless patrons can function relatively unnoticed in a public space without being marginalized, judged or pushed around. With more and more families becoming homeless, the library also is beneficial in offering a range of workshops and activities for the kids during the days when they have no where else to 

escape. As concluded in the above article, “Homeless and housed people can and do cohabitate in the library. This cohabitation exists within a broader symbolic and political context and is textured by tensions around appropriate behavior, inclusion, and understanding” (Hodgetts et al., 2008, p. 950).

Libraries not only can offer “physical spaces” but they can also be “emotionally healing spaces” as well for patrons. In ancient times the Greeks believed that people used literature to heal and called the idea “bibliotherapy”. They “recognized the healing power of reading and often placed inscriptions over library entrances which, translated, read ‘place of healing for the soul’ (McLaine, 2010, p. 141). This concept was used in starting the Book Well program at the State Library in Victoria in 2010 and included 20 participants and 17 staff from a range of public libraries. For example, in the read-aloud group, people would listen to poetry, short stories or novel extracts and personally respond out loud to what they heard.  One of the results of this specific program is that  “the therapy happens when groups focus on the text rather than themselves and their problems. This state of consciousness assists group members to be open to new ways of thinking. As we begin to think differently – regularly – we can begin to look at problems of living in a different way. Participants report feeling better after sessions” (McLaine, 2010, p. 142). These types of library programs are especially beneficial to homeless patrons who have the additional stresses, mental illnesses, health issues or anxieties because they have internal therapeutic benefits of looking more deeply within.  These effective library programs also are a reminder that everyone has the right to literature and books which help contributes to the overall well-being of the individuals, homeless or housed, in a society. 

References:

Hodgetts, D., Stolte, O., Chamberlain, K., Radley, A., Nikora, L., Nabalarua, E., & Groot, S. (2008). A trip to the
library: homelessness and social inclusion. Social & Cultural Geography, 9(8), 933-953.      doi:10.1080/14649360802441432 

McLaine, S. (2010). HEALING FOR THE SOUL: THE BOOK WELL PROGRAM. Aplis, 23(4), 141-147.

Quinton, S. (2016, April 04). Enlisting public libraries to help fight homelessness. Retrieved April 15, 2017, from    http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2016/04/04/enlisting-public-libraries-to-help-fight-homelessness