Understanding and Serving People Experiencing Homelessness: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Library Service
On-Demand
Webinar
A Two-Part Webinar Series
In January of 2014, there were 578,424 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States. Homelessness among children and families has risen to an historic high. Adults, youth, and families experiencing homelessness face a wide range of challenges including lack of affordable housing, employment opportunities, healthcare, social connections, and other needed services, as well as high rates of exposure to traumatic stressors that impact health and well-being. As homelessness increases, so does the significant intersection between homelessness and library service.
Part I, originally presented June 3, 2015, covers prevalence and causes of homelessness and also the impact of these traumatic experiences on adults and children, with a link to the intersection between homelessness and public libraries.
Part II, originally presented June 10, 2015, continues with ways to respond to homelessness in a public library setting—including some of the models that currently exist, as well as the concept of "trauma-informed" library services and what the core principles of this approach look like.
Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of this on-demand webinar series, participants will:
- Be able to identify common causes of homelessness among adults, youth, and families;
- Describe the impact of exposure to trauma on children and adults, including potential triggers; and
- Recognize core principles of a trauma-informed approach to library service.
Additional Resources
Kathleen Guarino:
- Kathleen Guarino's Slideshow, Part I (PDF, 26 pgs.)
- Kathleen Guarino's Slideshow, Part II (PDF, 13 pgs.)
- Model Programs (from ALA's Extending Our Reach: Reducing Homelessness Through Library Engagement Toolkit):
- Denver (Colo.) Public Library Community Technology Center
http://denverlibrary.org/ctc - Queens (N.Y.) Library
http://www.queenslibrary.org - San Francisco (Calif.) Public Library
http://www.sfpl.org - Traverse Area (Mich.) District Library
http://www.tadl.org
- Denver (Colo.) Public Library Community Technology Center
Meaghan O'Connor:
- Meaghan O'Connor's Slideshow (PDF, 37 pgs.)
- "After Being Homeless, Former Government Worker Struggles to Maintain Identity" (WAMU 88.5)
http://wamu.org/programs/metro_connection/15/02/20/after_years_of_homelessness_former_government_worker_struggles_to_maintain_identity - "D.C. adds a social worker to library system to work with homeless patrons" (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-adds-a-social-worker-to-library-system-to-work-with-homeless-patrons/2014/08/26/2d80200c-2c96-11e4-be9e-60cc44c01e7f_story.html - Extending Our Reach: Reducing Homelessness Through Library Engagement Toolkit (American Library Association)
https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/extending-our-reach-reducing-homelessness-through-library-engagement
Marnie Webb:
- Marnie Webb's Slideshow (PDF, 4 pgs.)
- Range (Caravan Studios)
http://www.RangeApp.org - Help Spread the Word (Caravan Studios)
http://www.caravanstudios.org/#!range-share/c1yv5 - TechSoup for Libraries
http://www.techsoupforlibraries.org
Who Should Attend
All public library staff.
Panelists
Kathleen Guarino, LMHC is the director of training at The National Center on Family Homelessness at American Institutes for Research, where she develops program models, resources, and training curricula on homelessness, trauma, and trauma-informed care. Kathleen trains on traumatic stress, trauma-informed care, and vicarious trauma and provider self-care, and provides individualized consultation to organizations across the country to support trauma-informed programming. Kathleen is a licensed mental health clinician with experience providing therapeutic services to children and families in residential and outpatient settings. She received her Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Boston College and holds a certificate in Traumatic Stress Studies from the Trauma Center in Brookline, Mass.
In Part II, Kathleen is joined by Meaghan O'Connor, assistant director of programs and partnerships at the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL). Meaghan provides strategic oversight for library programming and partnerships across all 26 DCPL locations. This includes projects ranging from planning a new DCPL branch within the D.C. jail to implementing a Knight Foundation Prototype project exploring Open211 referral systems. Prior to joining DCPL, Meaghan worked for IREX managing Gates Foundation-funded access to information/library development programs in Eastern Europe. Meaghan received her MLS from Simmons College and was selected as part of the 2008 American Library Association Emerging Leaders program and the 2015 PLA Leadership Academy.
In Part II, Kathleen is also joined by Marnie Webb, the CEO of Caravan Studios, a division of TechSoup Global, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Caravan Studios’ collaborative approach uses a theory of technology intervention to allow communities to respond to the issues they care about most. Funded by Microsoft Citizenship, Blue Shield of California Foundation, and Vodafone Americas Foundation, SafeNight represents Caravan Studios’ belief that technology can be used to illuminate issues, identify problems, and evoke action.
Presented By:
