Webinar: Understanding and Serving People Experiencing Homelessness

I attended “Understanding and Serving People Experiencing Homelessness: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Library Service,” a pre-recorded webinar on the Public Library Association website. Kathleen Guarino, Director of training and The National Center on Family Homelessness at the American Institutes of Research led the webinar.

She opens the webinar by defining homelessness as an individual or family that lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, people who are living in a place not designed as a sleeping space, and people living in temporary shelters or transitional housing arrangements. The term “chronically homeless” is defined as an individual or family that has been homeless for more than one year. Individuals with a serious illness or disability, victims of domestic violence or abuse, those who suffer from a mental illness, and those who suffer from addiction are at a much higher risk of becoming homeless. She discussed the statistics of homelessness in January 2014. The numbers were gathered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to HUD there were 578,000 homeless individuals at the time. More than 20 million individuals and families were living below the poverty line in the United States and were one step away from being homeless.

Next, she discussed the various types of programs that might be available to help homeless people get off the streets. She mentioned homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing programs which help individuals and families relocate and assist with rent to prevent homelessness before it happens. She discussed emergency shelters, which provide temporary shelter usually for a single night. She talked about transitional and supportive housing which help people on a more long-term basis, often the individuals that qualify for these programs have mental illnesses or disabilities.

Then, she discusses public libraries and what they mean to the homeless population. The library public space that is open to all. There is access to resources such as a quiet place to rest and get warm or cool when shelters are closed, internet access or other forms of communications, programs that offer enrichment and entertainment opportunities, restrooms, even just sitting and reading books is enticing to homeless individuals.

She discussed the challenges homeless individuals might face in the public library. Lack of staff education and comfort-levels and the balance of ensuring the safety and comfort of everyone can lead to barriers to accessing library services. Trauma exposure, mental health issues, addiction, and other factors can lead to disruptive behaviors which can make staff members and fellow patrons uncomfortable. Many public libraries have rules pertaining to hygiene issues, sleeping, and other behaviors.

She continued the conversation with strategies public libraries can use to develop outreach services and program focused on homeless individuals. First was listen. Listen to what homeless individuals have to say and try to meet their needs. Learn what resources are already available in the community. Train staff to recognize homelessness and be at least more tolerant of individuals if not accepting. Visit shelters to better understand services and settings. Create welcoming spaces in libraries, not just for homeless patrons, but for everyone. Examine policies for obtaining a library card and using library computers. Offer programs for job training, resume building, or other skills building tasks to help individuals get the training they need to get a job and keep one. Some of these programs simply provide entertainment and enrichment opportunities. Others provide training and help to get individuals off the streets.

Much of the rest of the webinar was devoted to the effects of physical and emotional trauma on and individual. Talking about the psychological tolls and emotional stress of just being homeless and the potential factors that led to an individual’s homelessness. She also talks the triggers of those who have experienced trauma and the disruptive behaviors those individuals might display and suggests guiding principles to use when dealing with these individuals. She further states that organizations should require intensive staff training, change practices and polices and the entire culture of the organization to support those who have experienced trauma.

            The webinar held many good, actionable ideas to help the homeless and help libraries adjust to the idea that homeless patron are patrons too. There was also a lot of good information about homelessness in general that is useful to understand the problem and how to help individuals who are experiencing homelessness. Much of the focus of Ms. Guarino was on the effects of trauma understanding its impact on the brain and the body. While I felt these were important issues, I also felt that her approach was a bit extreme for most libraries. While the uneasy truce that many libraries have with the homeless population is not the best way to address the problem. I don’t feel that retraining the entire staff as social workers and trauma support staff is a viable answer either.

Guarino, Kathleen. “Understanding and Serving People Experiencing Homelessness: A Trauma-

Informed Approach to Library Service” last modified June 3, 2015.              http://www.ala.org/pla/education/onlinelearning/webinars/archive/homelessness. Accessed April 4, 2018.