ResourceBlog Article: San Francisco Public Library Hires Social Worker to Help Homeless Patrons, First Library in U.S. to Offer Service

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Sunday, 21st February 2010

San Francisco Public Library Hires Social Worker to Help Homeless Patrons, First Library in U.S. to Offer Service

From the Article:

Every day, when the main library opens, John Banks is waiting to get inside. He finds a spot and stays until closing time. Then his wheelchair takes him back to the bus terminal where he spends his nights.

Like many homeless public library patrons, all Banks wants is a clean, safe place to sit in peace. He doesn't want to talk to anyone. He doesn't want anyone to talk to him. But the day he decides he wants help, he knows what to do: ask for the social worker.

The main branch of the San Francisco Public Library, where hundreds of homeless people spend every day, is the first in the country to keep a full-time social worker on hand, according to the American Library Association.

[Snip]

While San Francisco is the first to hire a social worker, other libraries may follow. As the economy languishes and cities shut down social programs, public libraries are becoming repositories for those who have been kicked out and turned away from all other places.

[Snip]

Last year, the library decided to partner with the Department of Public Health to hire Leah Esguerra.

As resident social worker. Esguerra's delicate task is making herself visible and available to those who might want help without intruding on the privacy of those who do not.

She estimates that she has helped 200 people in the last six months, not all of them homeless or lacking basic needs. "Some people are depressed because they can't find a job," she said. "Or they've lost a loved one. When people ask for me, I go to them. Or through word of mouth those who haven't asked know about me."

Much More (Including More Examples From Other Libraries) in the Complete Article

Source: AP (via Salt Lake Tribune)

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