LIBRARIANS and LIBRARIES - ENLISTING THEIR AID IN FIGHTING HOMELESSNESS - PEW TRUST

PEWTRUST ANALYSIS : ELISTING AID OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES FIGHT HOMELESSNESS


EXCERPT:


Public libraries have long been havens for people with nowhere else to go. Now, a growing number of library systems are adding services for patrons who are homeless, hungry, or suffering from drug addiction or mental illness. For the District of Columbia, that means hiring a social worker, partnering with nonprofits and organizing social hours.


The library can be part of the city’s efforts to reduce homelessness, said Jean Badalamenti, the social worker for the system here. “I see the library as playing a role in that, since this is where people are,” she said.


Libraries in the Internet age offer more than books and computer access. On a typical day, Washington’s central library, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, less than a mile from the White House, hosts all types of events, from free tax preparation assistance for adults to poetry workshops for teens.

IS THE LIBRARY TRYING TO GET RID OF YOU? ARE YOU DISABLED? TIME TO FILE WITH THE ADA!

ADA GOV  Maybe it's not the library, but another place that is paid for by the tax payers and open to the public.

You do NOT NEED A SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE ADA. You can use your library computer time or laptop to fill out a complaint on line and use e-mail and/or their toll free phone number to communicate.  If you have a camera or cell phone, you can possibly provide photos for evidence of your complaint.

We're aware that certain libraries feel they will get rid of homeless patrons by making life more PHYSICALLY DIFFICULT for them.  The problem is, these changes can mean making life more PHYSICALLY DIFFICULT for all patrons, homeless or not, especially senior citizens.

Here in Southern California we have heard of the following  DISCRIMINATIONS aimed at the homeless.



LIBRARY CARD DISCRIMINATION :  Patrons are being asked in some places not just for photo id's but also other mail coming to that address, such as a utility bill.  As a result, patrons who would be able to have 2 hours a day on the sign-in computers just like everyone else and get to sit down to use them have to use 15 minute computers which they get in line for, sometimes in and out of these lines for hours, so that they can use e-mail, write important letters, do job and housing searches and applications and so on.  It's maddening to try and complete an application in that time limit, fail, and loose your work.



ELIMINATING SEATING and WHEEL CHAIR ACCESS for 15 MINUTE COMPUTERS and/or OTHER USEFUL DATABASE COMPUTERS.  If you cannot stand for long - too damn bad.
We believe this is a flagrant violation of EQUAL ACCESS to all PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICES.  Many people who are not yet in wheelchairs have a difficult time for standing.



ELIMINATING COMFORTABLE and UPHOLSTERED SEATING because that encourages people to get comfortable and possibly sleep.  Or because "someone" complained that upholstery will get dirty or stinky if homeless sit on it.  (These people should try taking the bus and see what we have to sit on! Children wet themselves and the seats on the bus a lot!)



THREATENING TO THROW OUT A WHEEL CHAIR WHILE THE PERSON WAS IN THE BATHROOM on the basis that it was loaded with "other things."  Anyone who has taken MTA and seen people from all walks of life load on with their wheelchairs, with and without care givers, knows that a WHEELCHAIR is USUALLY USED to carry a LOT OF THINGS.  By the way, at this particular library a person MUST GET OUT OF THEIR WHEELCHAIR TO GET INTO THE BATHROOM.   (Just how UNCONSCIOUS can a HIGHLY EDUCATED LIBRARIAN GET?)

BANNING ALL DOGS...  If you have the paperwork stating that your dog is a SERVICE ANIMAL there isn't anything they can say or do to you that's legal unless the dog is pooping right on the floor, and even then it's a question.  Depending on where you live, a COMPANION ANIMAL is also considered a SERVICE ANIMAL, say if you have PTS and the animal prevents you from having a severe anxiety attack so that with it you can actually get out of the house.



CALLING THE HOMELESS "LOUD" while meanwhile there are LOUD CHILDREN, LOUD TUTORS, LOUD STORY READING and OTHER PROGRAMS, LOUD not homeless patrons such as NEAR DEAF people who are "understood" as they talk overloud, etc.



USING VOLUNTEERS TO "TALK" to (IDENTIFY and BUSINESS MIND) the HOMELESS, to let them know they are being watched.  Some of these people are also walking behind people on computers to spy on what we sites they are viewing.



WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO FILE ADA COMPLAINTS!  YOU MAY BE HELPING MANY PEOPLE, NOT JUST YOURSELF!

HOMELESS WITH KIDS? FREE THINGS TO DO TO STAY WARM and KEEP YOUR SANITY and YOUR COVER

HOMELESS WITH KIDS?  Need a place to hang out while they're in school?

THE LIBRARY - You can usually attend special kids-only programs without proving residency or showing an ID.  You may also be able to use some of the computers without a library card.

THE GYM - Try joining the YMCA before you no longer have a mailing address.  They have discounted programs for family of veterans.

THE INDOOR MALL - So difficult not to actually buy anything but there's heat, light, and bathrooms.  You'll probably have to keep it to half a day once a week so security doesn't have you on their radar.

FREE MUSEUM DAYS and MORE!

check out these FREE THINGS TO DO IN LOS ANGELES http://www.discoverlosangeles.com/blog/100-free-things-do-los-angeles-free-museums

ARE LIBRARIANS HAVING COMPASSION FATIGUE? PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND THE HOMELESS

When do the rights of the homeless really impinge upon the rights of other patrons? Are unsightliness and odor enough reason to bar homeless people from the library?  A number of articles on the net are saying that librarians are having "Compassion Fatigue."

Here is a blog called IN THE LIBRARY WITH A LEAD PIPE which is pretty interesting.
IN THE LIBRARY WITH A LEAD PIPE - Welcoming the Homeless in Libraries

HOMELESS BLOGGERS AT THE LIBRARIES IN THE UNITED STATES

We all know that finding a place to sit, relax, use the bathroom, wash, drink water, and just be is difficult when you are on the street or sleeping at a cold weather shelter.

MANY HOMELESS HAVE COMPUTER SKILLS AND USE PUBLIC COMPUTERS TO ACCESS e-mail AND OTHERWISE KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE WORLD, blogging and reading the news.

PLEASE CHECK IN WITH US IF YOU ARE HOMELESS AND READING THIS FROM A PUBLIC ACCESS COMPUTER! PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT CITY YOU ARE IN!

THANKYOU

HOMELESS ACTIVISTS

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