Hunger, Homelessness & Poverty Task Force – SRRT/ALA
Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association
“We are humbled by Ms. Parton’s incredible act of generosity,” Nashville Public Library Foundation President Shawn Bakker said. “Not only has The Dollywood Foundation given all the books necessary to fulfill a key pillar of the program, but the historic financial contribution will enable the Library to accelerate [the] launch of this program within the fiscal year.”
“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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“No librarian wants to cut hours, we want to expand libraries if we could,” said Interim City Librarian Bridget Esqueda.
“A rebuilt branch of the Brooklyn Public Library is opening with a new feature: on the seven floors right above the library, there will be 49 affordable housing units. Michelle de la Uz, executive director of Fifth Avenue Committee, a nonprofit that builds affordable housing and which partnered with the Brooklyn Public Library on the project, said she’s excited to see how those tenants engage with the library, and that the branch’s programming and resources could help people feel less isolated.
Linda Johnson, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Public Library, and de la Uz hope to see it replicated, throughout New York and beyond. “There’s an urgent need for affordable housing, and there are a lot of underutilized libraries that need modernization anyway,” de la Uz says. ‘Why not kill two birds with one stone?'”
The City of Rochester is working to invest in an expansion at the Rochester Public Library to help homeless individuals and families.
According to Mayor Evans, the investments would be to expand the library’s Family Resource Center to help with critical family crisis services.
Chris Indorf, the assistant superintendent for schools in Biddeford and Saco, said that before the pandemic, student homelessness was typically temporary — just a month or so — as a relatively ample housing supply made it somewhat easier for families to find a new apartment.
“Now the homelessness seems to be endemic. It’s lasting an entire year, or it’s spanning years,” Indorf said. “Most of those cases aren’t destitution — aren’t tents out behind the Starbucks. They tend to be intergenerational, families living with other families. Part of that is due to the economy. And a good part of that is owing to just extremely limited housing stock in Biddeford and Saco, and what is available is exorbitantly expensive.”
“This is going to be getting more materials into the hands of more Scott County residents, which brings us closer to the library’s mission — connecting all residents with resources, support and opportunity,” Scott County Library Director Jake Grussing said. “I think one of the best ways to do that is to create a penalty-free, welcoming environment for anybody who wants to use the library.”
‘To have a space where children and parents are centered is truly rare in America. Parents are so used to everything being hard in this country.’
In announcing the new policy, the library said its board of trustees “is dedicated to creating a library that is more open, equitable and understanding of our community,” and explained that “eliminating fines for overdue materials means more people in our community have greater access to the Library’s vital materials, resources and services.”