Hunger, Homelessness & Poverty Task Force – SRRT/ALA
Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association
“Food insecurity is on the rise across Massachusetts, impacting roughly 1.1 million Bay State households, a rate that the Greater Boston Food Bank says is a record and has doubled since 2019.”
The Library-Based Food Access program is free and operates like a full-service grocery store, providing a rotating selection of meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy and other essential staples.
The Chicago Public Library is the second library system in the nation behind Baltimore, Maryland, to launch the innovative idea, which served over 700 families in its first eight weeks.
“Patrick Markee spent two decades walking through New York City’s tunnels, armories and intake centers. His book asks: what if homelessness isn’t a personal failing, but the result of policy choices?”
“While many homeless library patrons seek assistance, Montano said, others like 76-year-old Elizabeth Fresquez see the library as their last hope to keep their housing and find other services.”
“At some point in the school year, roughly 1.4 million students are homeless. Federal law provides extra help to make sure they get an education. That law is overseen by the U.S. Education Department, which the Trump administration wants to close.”
The Community Planning and Development office at HUD disburses more than $3.6 billion in federal funding for rental assistance, mental health and substance use treatment, and outreach to try and get those living outside into shelter or housing.
“It is not the homeless person that needs to be humanized,” Lommasson said. “It is us. One thing I’ve learned from this project is that any of us, if one or two circumstances changed in our lives, we could be unhoused. There’s a whole list of factors why people are homeless.”
“We’ve systemically defunded vital social services for years in Oklahoma now, almost like a blood sport for political gain,” said state Rep. Forrest Bennett, a Democrat. “It’s at the expense of plenty of folks who need our compassion and get cruelty instead, especially kids.”
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“We are proud that we are a safe space for so many and we are constantly working to make sure it is truly a safe space for all,” said Jason Homer, executive director of the Worcester Public Library. “We have to set clear expectations with those who may be in crisis to ensure everyone’s experience is one rooted in safety and equity.”
Come September, Massachusetts will let people receiving food assistance use their benefits at restaurants for the first time.
What’s happening: Fourteen Boston-area restaurants were selected by the state to participate in a pilot program with the federal government, called the Restaurant Meals Program. There were 27 total restaurants selected statewide.