Exemplars

San Francisco Public Library was the first library system in the U.S. to hire a social worker to help connect their homeless patrons with local resources, including housing, physical and mental healthcare, and food. They also have a team of Health and Safety Associates (HASAs), staff who themselves have previously been homeless and can empathize with homeless patrons while referring them to local programs.

A previous partnership between Madison Public Library and local nonprofit Shine Initiative dedicated 30 hours per week in time and space for homeless patrons to meet with case managers at the library for consultation and referrals. Madison Public Library has also collected a number of resources on their website for homeless patrons to access in one easy-to-find place.

Sacramento Public Library trains their staff in Mental Health First Aid so that they can respond to patrons in crisis knowledgably, compassionately, and safely. The library has partnered with the city of Sacramento to provide warming and cooling centers during extreme weather, which poses serious dangers to patrons who do not have access to shelter, food, and water during triple-digit heat waves or freezing temperatures.

The Dallas Public Library has implemented a number of programs through its Homeless Engagement Initiative, including connecting patrons with housing options and helping them to build their resumes and conduct job searches. Part of that initiative including serving as a studio for the production of the podcast Street View, hosted by a local patron with firsthand experience with homelessness, as a way to educate the public about the issues that homeless people in the Dallas area are facing.

The DC public library hired a social worker to provide staff with training on how to help patrons access local resources and to conduct sensitivity and de-escalation training with staff to ensure that interactions are compassionate, respectful, and safe. They have also followed the peer support model by hiring three peer outreach mentors that patrons can meet with one-on-one for guidance on obtaining information, support, and advocacy.

The Queens Public Library's Bookmobile makes regular stops at homeless shelters so that patrons who do not have means to transport themselves and their families to the library can still access library resources. They have also partnered with New York City's Department of Homeless Services on the Library Pilot Project, an initiative that works to embed library programming, including homework help, book discussion groups, arts and crafts, and college preparatory skills, into the community by holding events at shelters.

The Los Angeles Public Library's homeless engagement initiative, "The Source," hosts office hours at nine branches; resources include support for housing and transportation, healthcare, food and nutrition, and employment. The LAPL also has a comprehensive list of homeless and stable living resources gathered on their website, with information geared towards the particular needs of specific populations, including children and families, veterans, immigrants, and women.

The Pima County Library partnered with the county health department to bring on-site nurses to several branches to provide medical and mental health services. Their monthly On the Streets meetings provide safe places for homeless patrons to come and get a free meal and, if they choose, stay and receive social and emotional support while building relationships between patrons and library staff.

The Denver Public Library's Homeless Services Action Committee spurred the hiring of four full-time social workers, two interns, and a team of peer mentors who train library staff and interface directly with homeless patrons to refer them to services and programs that address their needs. Part of the staff training includes instruction on administering Narcan to people overdosing on opioids, which staff have used to revive dozens of patrons over the past few years.