Hunger, Homelessness & Poverty Task Force – SRRT/ALA
Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association
A study by Peter Dreier, a professor of urban and environmental policy at Occidental College, found fewer than 3 percent of single-family properties sold in L.A. in the 2021-22 tax year cost above $5 million.
He told the Washington Post: ‘Ninety-eight percent of the homeowners in L.A. won’t feel this at all, and the ones who will feel it can afford to pay it.
‘This is the rich striking against the poor.’
How should we understand the increasing demonization and criminalization of homelessness across America? Is shelter alone enough for meeting the call of this moment, or merely an essential starting place? What can leaders in this field teach us about invoking empathy and critical analysis in responding to this complex set of issues?
MPL recently put together a new resource, “For Neighbors in Need,” a listing of local organizations that help those in need. This resource lists locations where people can go for assistance with food, clothing, laundry, hygiene, shelter, mental health and physical health. You can find this list at mhklibrary.org/for-neighbors-in-need, or as a handout at the Reference Desk on the second floor.
“Nearly one in four transgender young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 experience homelessness, nearly double the rate of their peers, according to the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQIA+ young people.”
“A new step in tackling chronic homeless in Columbia is set to open its doors in under a week.”
The city has begun initial work to use a portion of the long-vacant old Central Library to shelter homeless residents.
“A sociologist named Patrick Sharkey coined the term, ‘collective efficacy,’ to describe how the institutions work together to create community. In that regard, [Director] Shaker said, ‘Our library team feels stupendously lucky to be operating in a community that has organizations and village staff who are so open to collaboration and idea sharing. It really makes Forest Park a great place to work in.'”
“I talk about broken windows in the article because I wanted to figure out what is the policing strategy that’s being used to turn homeless people into a canary in a coal mine of crime. So you have William Bratten, who is the police chief who moves from New York to Los Angeles and back to New York as the proponent of this policy that we call ‘broken windows’ which we are still living with to this day. And under this view of policing, it doesn’t matter what the crime rate is. It matters if basically rich, white residents feel safe. And when we use police to do that, we give an incredible amount of discretion to police officers, and we’re policing people and places, as [Michael] Bloomberg says, rather than events or incidents. And so I think it is very important that we situate the rise in policing of unhoused people in this broader project of broken windows policing that cities engage in, that is essentially criminalizing the poor.”
“One of the aspects of addressing homelessness and poverty through libraries is to be aware of our library collections and how they represent the lives of people who are without a permanent place to be,” writes Julie Winkelstein.
Over the past year, 158 unsheltered people were provided temporary shelter at the Red Roof Inn. During this period, the City and its partners were able to help 42 people transition to permanent housing. Given the success in connecting people to permanent housing through the homeless shelter at the Red Roof Inn, the City of Asheville is proposing a project to continue that work.
Join an in person meeting on Thursday, August 12, 5 – 7 p.m. at the East Asheville Library, 3 Avon Road.
Asheville City Council is expected to review and consider approval of this property purchase and funding for operations at their 5 p.m. August 24 Council meeting. If this project is approved by City Council, the City will purchase the Ramada Inn property and budget funds for operations. Funding for this project is proposed through key partnerships and federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.