How can libraries empathetically serve patrons who are experiencing homelessness, housing instability, poverty, hunger, and related crises?
Food Security Resources (NYPL)
Guidelines for Library Services to People Experiencing Homelessness (IFLA)
Homeless Hub: Library of resources on homelessness in Canada
Hunger, Homelessness, and Poverty Task Force (ALA Social Responsibilities Roundtable)
Libraries Respond: Services to Poor and Homeless People (ALA)
Mental Health Resources for Libraries (OCLC WebJunction)
Public Libraries and the Opioid Crisis (OCLC and PLA)
Resources for Helping Unhoused Patrons (OCLC WebJunction)
Resources for Public Libraries Serving Persons Experiencing Homelessness (PLA)
Ryan J. Dowd. The Librarian's Guide to Homelessness: An Empathy-Driven Approach to Solving Problems, Preventing Conflict, and Serving Everyone. ALA Editions, 2018.
Lisa Bubert. "Safety Net." Longreads, 27 February 2025.
EveryLibrary. "Five Ways Libraries Provide Aid to the Homeless." Medium, 11 August 2023.
Jean Kuo Lee. "How Libraries are Helping the Unhoused." BookRiot, 17 November 2021.
Morgan Rondinelli. "What's Missing in Conversations about Libraries and Mental Illness." In the Library with the Lead Pipe, 19 June 2024.
MacKenzie Ryan. "Why US Libraries are on the frontlines of the homelessness crisis." The Guardian, 24 January, 2023.