Recent Articles On Homelessness + Libraries | Next Week's Webinar - "Interacting With The Homeless"

"INTERACTING WITH THE HOMELESS: SAFETY, SECURITY, AND SERVICE FOR LIBRARY STAFF." Please consider joining us for this 60-minute webinar, part of a special Library 2.0 series with Dr. Steve Albrecht, held live on Thursday, October 17th, 2019, at 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Register to attend live and to have access to the recordings by clicking on the JOIN WEBINAR button HERE. (You will need to be logged into Library 2.0--if you are not yet a member, you can join for free here.) More information on the webinar is below the articles..

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RECENT ARTICLES ON HOMELESSNESS AND LIBRARIES:

• As the welfare state decays, public libraries become sites of social trauma
  https://www.salon.com/2019/10/06/as-the-welfare-state-decays-public-libraries-become-sites-of-social-trauma/
  With no commons anymore, many homeless and struggling people find refuge at public libraries. (6 October 2019)
• Movie, panel focuses on homelessness and libraries https://www.nelsonstar.com/community/movie-panel-focuses-on-homelessness-and-libraries/
  On a bitterly cold night a large group of homeless men decide they’re not going to leave the public library at closing time. It hasn’t happened — but it could.That scenario is the subject of The Public, a new film written by and starring Emelio Estevez. (27 Sep 2019)
• Libraries Have Become De Facto Homeless Shelters: Emilio Estevez on His New Movie, “The Public”
  https://www.motherjones.com/media/2019/04/emilio-estevez-public-movie-libraries-homelessness/
  The filmmaker discusses the timely drama and ethical battle lines drawn at libraries nationwide during a special screening and panel with Mother Jones editor-in-chief Clara Jeffery. (10 April 2019)
• Downers Grove Library focuses on homelessness during October events
  https://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2019/10/01/downers-grove-library-focuses-on-homelessness-during-october-events/atb3zrm/
  With homelessness a concern across DuPage county, the Downers Grove Public Library will host events throughout October to promote awareness of the issue locally and give residents ways to help. (3 October 2019)
• Janesville library considers staffing social worker to help homeless
  https://wkow.com/news/2019/09/10/janesville-library-considers-staffing-social-worker-to-help-homeless/
  Libraries continue to be a place of refuge for those seeking shelter and protection for a wide variety of things ranging from mental health issues to homelessness. In recent years, staffing social workers to help those in need has become a new effort embraced widely by library system across the country. (10 Sep 2019)
• Edendale Branch Public Library marks one-year anniversary of providing services for homeless community
  https://abc7.com/community-events/edendale-branch-public-library-marks-one-year-of-services-for-homeless-community/5556782/
  The Edendale Branch Public Library in Echo Park celebrated their one-year anniversary of 'The Source'. "The Source essentially is a one-stop-shop of services for folks that are experiencing homelessness or low income in the community," said Librarian Angi Brzycki. (23 Sep 2019)
• Local library breaks down barriers
  https://www.spectatornews.com/campus-news/2019/09/18/local-library-breaks-down-barriers/
  L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library now to offer social services to help the homeless. (18 Sep 2019)
• ‘If I can do it, so can you’: At D.C. libraries, the formerly homeless help those currently struggling
  https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/2019/08/29/if-i-can-do-it-so-can-you-dc-libraries-formerly-homeless-help-those-currently-struggling/
  On a recent Wednesday, Renee Hines sat at a table in D.C.’s Northwest One Library near Mount Vernon Triangle, ready to greet people experiencing homelessness who had lined up to see her. (29 Aug 2019)
• As tech changes homelessness, libraries roll with the punches
  https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/31/as-tech-changes-homelessness-libraries-roll-with-the-punches/
  The warmth and quiet of the library have ever been a draw for those suffering from homelessness, but the past decade has piled more responsibilities on the shoulders of these institutions. The digital resources they provide are more important than ever for the homeless, but libraries have warily embraced their new role. (31 July 2019)
• Keep Library Workers Safe
  https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/04/23/keep-library-workers-safe/
  My wife was killed at the library where she worked. We can take measures to prevent acts of violence in our libraries. (23 April 2019)
• Suspect in homicide of Fort Myers Beach library director found incompetent to stand trial
  https://www.news-press.com/story/news/crime/2019/09/18/fort-myers-beach-library-director-homicide-suspect-adam-soules-found-incompetent/2364919001/
  A homeless man accused of killing a Fort Myers Beach librarian will spend the next few months in a mental health treatment facility. (18 Sep 2019)
• Disorder in the Stacks: Homeless services put an increasing burden on the New York Public Library
  https://www.city-journal.org/homelessness-ny-public-libraries
  Every morning before 10 AM, when “SIBL” opens, a small crowd of men gathers outside the door, many carrying their personal items in plastic bags and wearing dirty and mismatched clothes. (Spring 2019)
  
  

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WEBINAR OVERVIEW: This training class will address the nature and levels of homeless; changing legal issues; environmental safety issues; employee safety issues; at-risk homeless populations; empathic communication tools and skills for encounters with the homeless; firm, fair, consistent, assertive, and reasonable treatment; your Code of Conduct; the small population of predatory homeless people; and providing services to homeless people in need with dignity, empathy, and patience.

Being homeless is a complex social problem that impacts the quality of life in our communities. There are no easy solutions. Much of it is created by affordable housing shortages, chronic unemployment, mental illness, substance abuse, and changes in our mental health laws that have made the concept of being “gravely disabled” difficult to interpret. But most individuals who become homeless for the long term have either created or been victimized by a large number of failed relationships, including: family members; their children; friends; their employers; landlords; healthcare and social services agencies; and law enforcement.

The homeless individuals who seem to cause the most problems with their behaviors are often discovered to have undiagnosed autism issues. This means that they can be rude and confrontation, over and over, during each encounter with an employee, because they can’t learn the necessary social cues to comply and follow the rules, laws, or our library Codes of Conduct or policies.

Some issues associated with homeless populations are criminal in nature but difficult to enforce. While being homeless is not a crime, many kinds of public conduct in or around the library are illegal and should be reported to local law enforcement. These include being intoxicated, fighting, trespassing, aggressive panhandling, soliciting, urinating/defecating in public, consuming alcoholic beverages in the library, camping or sleeping outside the library, littering, obstructing sidewalks, living in a vehicle parked in a posted library parking lot, disturbing the peace, behaving in a threatening manner and more. Library staff should be mindful of their safety and security when dealing with certain parts of this population.

COST: $95/person - includes access to the recording, presentation slides, and the attendee discussion forum. For group discounts, to submit a purchase order, or for any registration difficulties or questions, email steve@learningrevolution.com.

TO REGISTER: Click on the JOIN WEBINAR button HERE. You will first need to be a member of Library 2.0 (free) and be logged in. Please click "Sign Up" on the top right and we'll approve you quickly.

DR. STEVE ALBRECHT

As a trainer, speaker, author, and consultant, Dr. Steve Albrecht is internationally known for his expertise in high-risk HR issues. He specializes in workplace and school violence awareness and crisis response programs for private-sector firms, municipal and state government, K-12 schools, and colleges and universities. His clients include the two biggest municipal insurers in California.
In 1994, Dr. Albrecht co-wrote Ticking Bombs: Defusing Violence in the Workplace, one of the first business books on workplace violence. Besides his work as a conference presenter and keynote speaker, he appears in the media and on the Internet, as a source on workplace violence, security, and crime. His 21 business and police books include Library Security; Tough Training Topics; Added Value Negotiating; Service, Service, Service!; and Fear and Violence on the Job.
He holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration (D.B.A.), an M.A. in Security Management, a B.A. in English, and a B.S. in Psychology. He is board-certified in HR, security management, employee coaching, and threat assessment.