“It’s a food shelf with the soul of a Little Free Library. A new “neighborhood food box” has become a quick drop site for food donations and food collections at 46th & Colfax.”
Category: basic-needs
Duluth Changes Laws, Seeks More Dignity for Homeless
“As part of a concentrated effort to help people experiencing homelessness, the city of Duluth last week took laws off the books that made it illegal to panhandle and sleep in a car.”
HUD Secretary Ben Carson’s Proposal to Triple Rents for Poorest Households Would Hurt Single Mothers the Most
“The proposal by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to at least triple the minimum rent that the poorest Americans pay for federally subsidized housing would put nearly 1 million children at risk of homelessness, according to an analysis of HUD data by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).”
With Homeless Increasingly Shut Out Elsewhere, Richmond Library Leans into Role as de facto Day Shelter
“But while some libraries have looked for ways to dissuade the homeless from using their facilities, leaders in Richmond have taken a different tack.
Over the past two years, they have eliminated rules that targeted people without housing by banning such items as large bags and bedrolls and begun adding services aimed at aiding the growing class of patrons. They made it easier for people without state identification to access the library’s computers, which are heavily used by homeless and low-income people for both job searches and entertainment. And, power outlets being an in-demand commodity among the homeless, this month they installed a cellphone charging station.
By April, they plan to hire a part-time social worker to work directly with homeless patrons.”
St. Cloud, Duluth Add Homeless Teen Programs
“We’re making a lot of progress in our community,” Dornfeld said. “Our goal is to reduce youth homelessness so it’s rare, brief and non-reoccurring.”
Finding Homes, Jobs for Homeless Youth
“During a 100-day challenge that ended Nov. 8, a coalition of 30 public, private and nonprofit groups set the ambitious goal of moving 150 young people from homelessness to more stable situations. But they exceeded their benchmark by finding housing and/or employment for 236 local teens and young adults.”
Shaming Over School Lunch Debts Has to Stop
“Taking food away from a child in front of their peers, or limiting their access to school activities or athletics over meal debt, is downright wrong — not to mention mean,” said Cassellius.
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At Boston Public Library, New Positions to Help the Homeless
“The new Outreach Manager ‘will work as part of a team providing assessment, crisis intervention and intensive case management services,’ and will be based out of the Boston Public Library’s central branch in Copley Square.
Additionally, Boston Public Library is hiring a reference librarian who will specialize in health and human services and recently launched an addiction recovery resources guide, which includes information on substance use and recovery services designed for active users and their loved ones.”
Empty Pockets, Broken Spirits: Poverty’s Impact Reaches Far Beyond Money
“It’s like if you don’t go into an area that’s poor, you don’t understand or appreciate the area that’s poor,” City Councilman John Garland, a native Roanoker, said during the kickoff meeting at the Jackson Park Library in Southeast Roanoke.
Saving Lives in the Stacks: How Libraries are Handling the Opioid Crisis
“Libraries from California to Colorado, Pennsylvania to Missouri, are finding themselves on the front lines of a battle they never anticipated fighting.”