Friday, March 28, 2008

Homeless patrons: positive approaches



Moderated by SFPL and the Free Library of Philadelphia

SFPL has an Outreach Case Worker position on staff.
SFPL has clear rules of conduct and has tried to enforce these uniformly.

Talk to your city agencies that serve the homeless. Tell them "You're looking to help these people---they are here."

Try to partner with these agencies to provide service.

In Philadelphia, they realized that homelessness is often a symptom, not the root problem. The problem, they found, was often addiction and mental illness.

Address behaviors, not homelessness.

Mobilize library, police and social service agencies.
Work with organizations like Philly's Project Home. Work with outreach agencies.

Free Library of Philadelphia was having a problem with sex/drugs/bathing in public restrooms. They worked with an outreach group to employ recently-homeless individuals (clean and off the streets) as bathroom attendants. Attendants did light housekeeping duties in the bathroom and provided information and referrals to homeless individuals. This program has been a huge success.

Director commented that city agencies want "to ride along a winner" —funding will come. Their sponsors have been Bank of America, Starbucks, MetroBakery. They've opened an internet cafĂ©, also staffed by recently-homeless individuals.

SFPL: It is important to advocate at the city level. Administrators should go to city meetings. SFPL's administrators talk to social services. They have worked with Public Works who hose down library sidewalks everyday (They were having nightly issues with trash and human waste on sidewalks). Health care workers do sweeps of the library and offer assistance. Mental health department does outreach in the library two hours per day.

SFPL:
Importance of clear code of conduct and behaviors.
Equal enforcement among all staff.
Create a consequences list-- If you do this, then this will happen to you --penalties for 1st, 2nd and 3rd infractions. Clear these with your library board and city attorney.

SFPL established a Homeless Outreach Team. (HOT workers, or "the Hotties") Find an agency who can use your site as a location. The HOT team is not employed by the library; however, they use library space.

They also work with a library team called the Change agents, a group of SFPL staff who were sympathetic to homeless.

Remember not to profile individuals. It is better to give your outreach staff jackets or something to designate them. This group can also design training for your staff (Mental Health 101 or Drug Abuse 101).

Free Library of Philadelphia: There was a citywide task force on homelessness. Director attended the meetings of that group. They primarily work with homeless. The director commented that he originally saw the homeless as the library's "problem." Working with the task force changed the way he thought and the task force found ways that the library could help this population that was within the library's mission.

1 comment:

Julia C. said...

An uncomfortable topic. SFPL made a significant commitment: time given to interagency meetings; funding for training to educate staff; dedicated outreach staff, etc. Did SFPL say how long their program was in place?

Libraries and homeless seem to have this relationship that goes way back. (See A Haven for the Homeless by Pat Woodrum in Library Journal, Jan. 1988.) I wonder what happens with this funding in lean times?