I'm co-presenting on this topic at the MLA/DLA Joint State Conference in May, 2016. My piece is covering what's happening in Delaware.

1. Improving Library Services for our
Homeless Patrons
(and those facing housing crises)
Delaware
MLA/DLA JOINT STATE CONFERENCE
2016
CATHAY KEOUGH
STATEWIDE COORDINATOR, DELAWARE LIBRARY REFERENCE SERVICE
DELAWARE DIVISION OF LIBRARIES
CATHAY.KEOUGH@LIB.DE.US

2.  How widespread this was in Delaware
 How it affected library staff
If there was a way I could help staff learn ways to work more
effectively, gain resources and tools, I first needed to know:

3. Assumptions
“Addressing homelessness as librarians can be challenging.
Stereotypes, misinformation or lack of understanding, uncomfortable
personal experiences, and feeling overwhelmed can all contribute to
making this a difficult topic.”
- Julie Ann Winklestein
“Library Services for Patrons Experiencing Homelessness”

4. Questions
Why should libraries be part of the
caring community surrounding those
experiencing homelessness?
What are the barriers to library
service experienced by library users
who are unstably housed? What are
their information needs?
http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/24/publ
ic-library-portraits-californias-homeless-connect-in-
a-quiet-place/

5. “Public libraries provide the homeless with a way to connect, and many homeless
say that browsing the stacks and reading a book there eases a weary street-level
perspective of life.”
Edward Rideau reads Statutes and Amendments to the Codes of California at
the Sacramento Public Library Central Branch. With poor eyesight he must
hold the book close enough to be able to read the fine text.
From: http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/24/public-library-portraits-
californias-homeless-connect-in-a-quiet-place/

6. How many view this topic
Homeless man in Paris, France
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness

7. “Glen Carney works on a painting in the community room at RedLine Gallery, 2350
Arapahoe St., in Denver. Every Tuesday, the community room — located in the back of
the sprawling gallery — transforms into Reach Studio, a creative melting pot of
homeless and transient people painting, some for the first time. The gallery is headed
by PJ D'Amico, a former shelter worker.”
-Karl Gehring, The Denver Post, 2012

8. What’s being measured & counted?

9. 2015 U.S. Point in Time Stats
On a Single Night in January 2015
564,708 people were homeless in
the United States.
PIT Estimates of Homeless, from
http://ldi.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/rte/2
015-AHAR-Part-1.pdf

10. Examining Delaware
A. A. Delaware’s ten year plan and ways to measure success.
B. How many people are we talking about?
C. A look at programs that are already in place and how many of
these are successfully working with libraries.
D. Identifying two types of programs:
1. Addressing the immediate problem with the least amount of effort
(reactive) – primarily working independently.
2. Exploring a long-term approach on a broader scale (proactive) --
working collaboratively.

11. Delaware’s Plan to End Homelessness
Guiding Principles
Compassionate and Consistent.
Persons experiencing homelessness should be treated with dignity and
respect Compassionate and Consistent. All persons experiencing
homelessness are in crisis.
Transparent and Accountable.
In order for systems to work effectively and efficiently they must be
transparent to all stakeholders (providers, consumers, funders, etc.).
Guiding Principles for Delaware’s Homeless Assistance System:
http://www.destatehousing.com/FormsAndInformation/Publications/plan_end_homeless.pdf

12. Milestones
2005: The Delaware Interagency Council on Homelessness (DICH) was created by
Executive Order number 65 in March 2005 by Governor Ruth Ann Minner.
DICH released Breaking the Cycle: Delaware’s Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness
and Reduce Long-Term Homelessness. The Plan included five major strategies for ending
chronic homelessness:
1. Develop new housing for persons who are chronically homeless or at risk for
chronic homelessness
2. Remove barriers to accessing existing affordable housing
3. Improve discharge and transition planning
4. Improve supportive services for persons who are homeless
5. Enhance data collection and the use of technology
2008: Codified in Delaware law.

13. 2009: Congress and President Obama signed into law the HEARTH Act
2010: Opening Doors was created (federal strategic plan)
2011: The Delaware Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness was
created
2013: By this date, 19 federal, state and local partners were working
collaboratively – first to address those who have been chronically
homeless (close to 450 units of permanent supportive housing, most
of it targeted to people with disabilities who have long histories of
homelessness)

14. The State of Delaware has a population of 897,934 people (2010 US Census
data) in its three counties, with the most people living in the northern part of
the state in New Castle County.
This is 14.6% increase from the 2000 Census count. At this rate, Delaware’s
population will surpass 1 million before 2020.
Delaware Census

15. Some stats – Homelessness in Delaware
(from the Governor’s office, 2013)
On any given day, there are approximately 1,000 men, women and children
staying in Delaware emergency shelters and transitional housing programs.
Over 8,021 people have at least one episode of homelessness during the
year than those who are homeless at any given point in time.
Over half (51%) of Delaware’s homeless population is Black—a
disproportionate representation of Delaware’s population.
Over half are males (58%).
42% of those experiencing homelessness at any given time are members of
a family with the average size of a family being 3 persons.
19% of Delaware’s homeless population are children under the age of 18
and 6% are between the ages of 18 and 24.
8% report being institutionalized before the age of 18.

16. Code Purple History/Newark
Year # of CP
Nights
Total Guests Avg # of persons
per night
2008-09 28 168 6
2009-10 28 224 8
2010-11 31 403 13
2011-12 4 50 12.5
2012-13 13 196 15
2013-14 34 597 17.5
2014-15 32 688 21.5
2015-16 16 436 27.25
Newark’s population
is 32, 529
and is the location of
the University of
Delaware.

17. A sampling of partnership
programs with libraries
ACA partnerships in place with organizations familiar with health care
resources.
VISTA volunteer organizing partnerships with community college nursing
students to provide blood pressure screening.
Attempts at partnering with social workers in libraries.
Partner listserv, networking with other non-profits .
Kindness Corner
Lazarus Rising Program
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/latest-links/manchester-council-bans-homeless-people-from-using-the-library

18. Kindness Corner
Highlights:
Early fall 2015: From connection made through a library staff
training program called ILEAD, a partnership was formed with a
community agency called A.C.E. Peer Center (Mental Health
Association of Southeastern PA)
Sept 2015: Created team with pilot library (Georgetown Public
Library; county seat, Sussex County). Held first planning meeting.
Oct 2015-Jan 2016: Formed guidelines, descriptions, goals of
program. Conducted a survey over two week period.
Accepted by library board.
Feb 1, 2016: Kindness Corner began (4 nights a week, 5-8pm)
As of today, the Kindness Corner is running on a permanent basis
2 nights a week

19. “The Kindness Corner creates a space that
allows various agencies, advocates and
individuals to work together with the local
library to make sure that no one falls through
the cracks of our social support system. We
are all links in a chain of social support and
the local library is a safe and friendly place to
position the "kindness corner" activity within
our community where goodness has a chance
to happen for a person in crisis or in need.
“I think this approach works because we are
building a community who cares for our
vulnerable neighbors who are reaching out to
others for help. It is also the building of
relationships and friendships that help people
not just to survive, but to strive for more and
thrive. “
-Jim Martin, A.C.E Director
A.C.E. (http://www.acepeercenter.org/ and
on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ACE-Peer-Center/116354805189350 )

20. Lazarus Rising
http://www.lazarusrising.org/
Mission:
“Lazarus Rising aims to effectively and efficiently combat homelessness through the
provision of job placement skills. We empower our participants through personalized
resume reviews, mock interviews, and job search portal navigation at absolutely no
cost to either our participants or our community partners.”

21. Goals to Prevent and End Homelessness
Delaware has adopted the same goals as the United States Interagency
Council on Homelessness in Opening Doors: The Federal Strategic Plan
to Prevent and End Homelessness
Finish the Job of Ending Chronic Homelessness by 2015
Prevent and End Veterans Homelessness by 2015
Prevent and End Family Homelessness by 2020
Setting a path to ending all types of homelessness

22. Placing a person in a permanent home and providing the necessary wrap-
around services for that person so they can be integrated in their community
leads to a successful outcome. Delaware must invest in these best practices to
ensure success at preventing and ending homelessness.
-Delaware’s Plan to End and Prevent Homelessness

23. What’s next?

24. What can you do?
Take a personal interest in learning and helping.
 Attend more workshops, webinars and trainings (PLA, InfoPeople/ALA)
 Volunteer if you are inclined to really get involved. There are plenty of
opportunities. I find that the more I work directly with various members
of my community, the more I see them for what they are – my neighbors.
 Learn from experts online on TED, YouTube, such as from Ryan Dowd (see
bibliography).
 Take a Mental Health First Aid course.
 Network/ attend meetings and programs that address the homeless
situation in your community.
 Read – through ALA: http://www.ala.org/offices/extending-our-reach-
reducing-homelessness-through-library-engagement
 Discover how to more effectively collaborate with community partners.
 Become an advocate.

25. Purposeful Collaboration
Homeless singers - Wisconsin State Journal, August 16, 2015 by Claire Bitner
System transformation
requires forward
thinking and the
realization that change
occurs when we are all
moving in the same
direction.

26. Collective Impact
… is a framework to tackle deeply entrenched and complex social
problems. It is an innovative and structured approach to making
collaboration work across government, business, philanthropy, non-profit
organizations and citizens to achieve significant and lasting social change.
_______________________________________________________
Collective Impact
by John Kania and Mark Kramer
Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2011
http://ssir.org/images/articles/2011_WI_Feature_Kania.pdf

27. Thank you!
CATHAY KEOUGH
STATEWIDE COORDINATOR, DELAWARE LIBRARY REFERENCE SERVICE
DELAWARE DIVISION OF LIBRARIES
CATHAY.KEOUGH@LIB.DE.US

28. Bibliography
Delaware’s Plan to End and Prevent Homelessness (2013):
http://www.destatehousing.com/FormsAndInformation/Publications/plan_
end_homeless.pdf
State of Delaware/DHSS: Community Health Status Assessment:
http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/shachsa.pdf
Delaware State Housing list of emergency shelters:
http://www.destatehousing.com/FAQs/EmergencyShelters.pdf
Delaware 2-1-1 for Code Purple:
http://www.delaware211.org/newsdetail.php?did=120
____________________________________________________________________
Much of the following bibliography and recommended reading comes from an
extensive source provided with permission by instructor Julie Ann Winklestein
through the four-week course, “Library Services for Patrons Experiencing
Homelessness” (Feb-March 2016)

29. Bibliography
US Dept. of Health and Human Services/Homelessness: http://www.hhs.gov/programs/social-
services/homelessness/index.html#
HUD – Homeless Information for Delaware:
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/delaware/homeless
National Alliance to End Homelessness Snapshot of Homelessness:
http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/snapshot_of_homelessness
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans: http://nchv.org/
Homebase for Housing: Housing Type Definitions:
http://homebaseforhousing.org/Education/Definitions.cshtml
Library Social Worker help homeless seeking quiet refuge (San Francisco) PBS:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/library-social-worker-helps-homeless-seeking-quiet-refuge/
National Geographic: PROOF: Picture stories: California's Homeless Find a Quiet
Place (proof.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/24/public-library-portraits-californias-homeless-
connect-in-a-quiet-place), by Fritz Hoffmann.

30. Bibliography
National Coalition for the Homeless (nationalhomeless.org/about-
homelessness).
Includes issues, reports, publications, links to other resources.
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and
Youth (www.naehcy.org/about-naehcy/mission).
"NAEHCY is the only professional organization specifically dedicated to
meeting the educational needs of children and youth experiencing
homelessness. We provide professional development, resources, and
training support for anyone and everyone interested in supporting the
academic success of children and youth challenged by homelessness."
National Center for Homeless
Education (center.serve.org/nche/IBT/aw_video.php)
Includes a range of excellent resources on education and homelessness.
Good for public and school librarians. Their video links are excellent, too.

31. For Further Reading
"Extending Our Reach: Reducing Homelessness Through Library Engagement" is
designed to help librarians and library staff create meaningful library services for
people who are experiencing homelessness: http://www.ala.org/offices/extending-
our-reach-reducing-homelessness-through-library-engagement (American Library
Association) Online resource and downloadable pdf. Includes ALA policy on services
to people experiencing poverty and homelessness.
Byrne, Terri and Plumadore, Julian (2014). Language
Matters (mentalhealthsf.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/16ICHC-A1_C5-
Language-Matters.pdf). Mental Health Association of San Francisco.
Culhane, Dennis (July 11, 2010). Five myths about America's
homeless (www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2010/07/09/AR2010070902357.html). The Washington Post.
Dunlap, Nathan, Rynell, Amy, Young, Melissa, and Warland, Chris (January
2012). Populations Experiencing Homelessness: Diverse Barriers to Employment and
How to Address Them
(http://nationalinitiatives.issuelab.org/resource/populations_experiencing_homeles
sness_diverse_barriers_to_employment_and_how_to_address_them). Working to
END Homelessness.

32. For Further Reading
Warth, Gary (December 30, 2015). Libraries pitch in with homeless
count (www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/dec/30/homeless-count-
county-libraries). The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The Conversation (2015). Libraries on the front lines of the homelessness crisis in the
United States (theconversation.com/libraries-on-the-front-lines-of-the-
homelessness-crisis-in-the-united-states-44453)
Pateman, John (June 26, 2013). Relationships: The Heart of a Community-Led Library
Service (libr.org/isc/john-pateman-relationships-the-heart-of-a-community-led-
library-service-edmonton-public-library-26-jun-2013) Information for Social Change.
WebJunction (September 26, 2011). Putting the Public Back in Public Libraries:
Community-Led Libraries OCLC
(www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/Putting_the_Public_Back_in_Public_Libr
aries_Community-Led_Libraries.html)
National Coalition for the Homeless (n.d.). How YOU Can Help End
Homelessness (www.nationalhomeless.org/want_to_help/index.html)
Includes suggestions for anyone who wants to be part of ending homelessness.
Some suggestions could be adopted by libraries.

33. Recommended videos/audio clips
◦ A Librarian's Guide to Homelessness (www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYiEEhhrFh4)
Ryan Dowd. YouTube video (38 minutes)
◦ Bryan Dozier – A Hard Way Home (vimeo.com/90078802)
Video about homelessness and mental health; includes facts and interviews. Focuses on David Pirtle, who now works for the
National Coalition for the Homeless. (Length: 9:47)
◦ National Coalition for the Homeless (www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iV446txbfQ)
Video about their work. Includes facts about what they do, statistics about homelessness, interviews, examples of speaker's bureau
talks. This is definitely a marketing tool for NCH, but provides excellent insights and information. Text with video says: "The National
Coalition for the Homeless, founded in 1982, is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have
experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to
a single mission. That mission, our common bond, is to end homelessness. We are committed to creating the systemic and
attitudinal changes necessary to prevent and end homelessness. At the same time, we work to meet the immediate needs of
people who are currently experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of doing so. We take as our first principle of practice that
people who are currently experiencing homelessness or have formerly experienced homelessness must be actively involved in all of
our work." (Length: 10:29)
◦ Faces of Homelessness II (www.nationalhomeless.org/faces/video.html)
The second in a series of videos created to introduce presentations given by members of the National Coalition for the Homeless'
Faces of Homelessness Speaker's Bureau. Provides excellent insights into lives of those experiencing homelessness. (Length: 9:42)
◦ American University
Radio (wamu.org/programs/metro_connection/15/02/20/after_years_of_homelessness_former_government_worker_struggles_t
o_maintain_identity)
A government worker talks about losing first his job and then his home. He makes some great points. For example, he didn't know
how to be homeless – where to go, who to contact; he feels like a different person being on the streets. Interviewer met him at the
public library. Very moving. (Length: 4:48)