Libraries and the Homeless

Libraries and the Homeless

by Jennifer Ellis

 PHOTOGRAPHS BY FRITZ HOFFMANN/REDUX

The homeless have long been visiting area libraries; they are safe, quiet, clean spaces, which can be respite from life on the streets. Also, they may just want to read a darn book. No matter their reason for visiting, homeless patrons should be treated with the same professionalism, courtesy, and empathy that all patrons deserve. 

Some libraries offer services directed at the homeless population. "...with hundreds of thousands of American youth experiencing homelessness, library services—whether provided in a local branch or in a shelter—can serve as a stable environment and help connect these teenagers to other social services." There are programs for STEM education, digital photography, and podcasting, among other subjects. There have been nationwide efforts by the San Francisco Public Library, San Diego Public Library and libraries in San Jose to hire social workers to support the homeless library patrons. Conversely, there are some libraries that have set up anti-odor ordinances within their properties. Thankfully, the SFPL has come up with a basic, straightforward approach to this delicate situation: they have partnered with a nonprofit agency to provide showers and toilets for the homeless population. This time, the librarians didn't just provide access to books, they solved a very real-world problem and gave access to basic human services. Rebecca T. Miller states, "We are practiced at searching for the gaps in access, but what might emerge if we challenge ourselves to think even more deeply about all the people libraries exist to serve, the diversity of their lives, and the range of limits that seem to be just “the way it is”?

References

HILL, R. A. (2016). ALMOST HOME. School Library Journal, 62(2), 26-28.

Miller, R. T. (2015, October). Real-World Barriers. Library Journal. p. 8.