Homeless find Hope, Refuge and Community at Public Libraries

Social workers are joining librarians to provide help where it's needed

(excerpts from the Nov 20, 2014 article By Terry Reith, Andrea Huncar, on cbc.ca/news.ca)

“A lot of homeless people actually have jobs and have families and need resources, so they use libraries.” says Eric Weissman, a sociology professor at College of New Caledonia in Prince George, B.C.  

“Libraries have always been that central place, that community centre. It’s one of the mandated qualities of libraries...It’s a last stand...the Alamo of urban space for the homeless.”

At least five libraries in Canada employ social workers to work with the homeless. (CBC News)

​Homeless people were using the library, but staff were having difficulty coping with the complexity of their needs. “They have issues bigger than the librarian can answer for them.”

Having the social worker on site has made a difference, says library spokeswoman Michelle Jeffers (San Francisco)

Libraries provide more than shelter from the elements.  They offer access to information, entertainment, services and a sense of community.  Libraries often have a line in their policy to assist anyone and do so in a way that demonstrates respect and offers dignity to patrons.  Whatever attitudes people may face elsewhere, libraries can, and should, welcome, inform and inspire all those who walk through its doors.

The Power of One: Teen Starts 'Giving Library' for Homless

This story is a few years old, but may inspire someone to do likewise.  You don't have to be rich or have an organization behind you to do wonderful things.  Check out what one teen was able to accomplish:

reposted from GOOD's May 2012 article by Liz Dwyer.

Florida Teen Starts 'Giving Library' for Homeless Kids

There’s nothing like curling up in bed with a good book before you go to sleep, but far too many low-income kids don’t know what that’s like. Two-thirds of poor children have no age-appropriate books at home, and the nation's 1.6 million homeless children have even fewer options.

Fifteen-year-old Florida resident Lilli Leight wanted to help provide homeless kids in her community with access to books, so she created a "giving library" at a Miami homeless shelter. To staff the library, she formed a teen book club to encourage her classmates to volunteer. Her effort won her the National Book Foundation's Innovations in Reading prize, which recognizes individuals and institutions for developing ways of instilling a lifelong love of reading.

Leight began volunteering three years ago at the nonprofit Chapman Partnership shelter, and she quickly noticed that after students there finished their homework, they'd turn on the shelter's television instead of cracking a book like she did at home. The kids didn’t even think to ask for a book, she found, because they were so used to not having any around.

A lack of access to books has long-term effects on kids, research shows—several studies indicate that availability of reading materials is a stronger predictor of future academic achievement than socioeconomic status. In Leight's home state, less than 25 percent of homeless children graduate from high school.

To build the library, Leight began collecting donated new and used books from friends, schools, community organizations, and local bookstores. The effort was so successful that the shelter’s library now has multiple books for every child. And when families are back on their feet and able to leave the shelter, they're invited take as many books with them as they want. Leight's book club, called iRead, provides a place for teens from area high schools to get together to discuss books, meet authors, and volunteer at Chapman as homework helpers.

Leight told the National Book Foundation that her project has made her "feel empowered to help change the world―even if it is just one child at a time." Thanks to her, more kids in tough economic situations have the opportunity to fall in love with a book.

Photo via (cc) Flickr user Hermionish

The Paper House by Lori Peterson

Life is hard for ten-year-old Safiyah in the Kibera slum outside Nairobi. Too poor to go to school, she makes a meager living for herself and her grandmother Cucu by selling things she finds at the garbage dump. After using scavenged paper to fix up the inside of the hut, Safiyah starts a mural on the outside. As word of the paper house spreads, Safiyah begins to take pride in her creation. When Cucu collapses after a fire, Safiyah stays at the hospital to help care for her grandmother. While Safiyah is away, her friend Pendo works on the mural, which upsets Safiyah. But when Pendo attracts media attention to the paper house, Safiyah and her grandmother are given a chance of a better life. -- Silver Birch Express 2013 Nominee

This was a pleasant quick read which served as a topical introduction to social issues and justice for young readers.  Peterson manages to humanize the concept of poverty and the real concerns of a child in the third world without becoming overbearing to young readers.  This is a story that explores the value of family, community, creativity and determination and the triumph of hope in difficult circumstances.   I can easily see this book being used to start a classroom discussion on the challenges children face in other countries, from hunger, safety, education and sickness as well as connecting themes of family, cooperation, friendship, and helping others.