[CASL-L] Growing Equitable Library Services: Preparing Library Staff to Assist People Experiencing Homelessness

[Kymberlee Powe]

[cid:image001.jpg at 01D03115.F4805630]

[Diagram  Description automatically generated with medium confidence]

Growing Equitable Library Services: Preparing Library Staff to Assist People Experiencing Homelessness - An Introduction

Tuesday, October 19 | 10 am-12 pm

Register<https://cslib.libcal.com/event/8107406>

Individuals that are experiencing poverty or homelessness constitute a significant amount of those that frequent the library today. Library staff represent a crucial part of the emergency homeless response system. It is not uncommon for library staff to be a first point of contact for someone currently experiencing, or at imminent risk of, homelessness - which provides libraries with an important opportunity to change lives. Unfortunately, there continues to be an urgent need to assist those that are experiencing poverty and homelessness, which makes it essential for libraries to know how to effectively respond to their needs.

We are partnering with the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness<https://www.cceh.org/> to provide part 1 of a 2-day training* for library staff to build their toolkit as they potentially help people navigate their housing crisis. The training will provide an overview of the homeless response system and provide basic knowledge about available resources as well as focus on how to effectively intervene in a housing crisis and assist in connection to services.

There will be an emphasis on the practice of Shelter Diversion, which is a strategy that prevents homelessness at the front door by helping people identify immediate alternative housing arrangements to shelter and, if necessary, connecting them with services and financial assistance to help them return to permanent housing. Diversion can reduce the number of households becoming homeless, the demand for shelter beds, and the size of program wait lists.

This 2-day training will provide knowledge and resources and will also be interactive and engaging to coach you through having person-centered and respectable diversion conversations with those that are in the library and currently experiencing a housing crisis.

*Please note, part 2 is an advanced session on November 16 with more limited capacity as it will take a deeper dive, get into more specifics, and include practice work. Library staff are welcome to attend either or both sessions.

CT State Library is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

(c) 2016 CT State Library. All rights reserved.

Best,
Kym (she/her)
[cid:image002.png at 01D7C02A.F75DD480]
Kymberlee Powe | Children and YA Consultant | Kymberlee.Powe at ct.gov<mailto:Kymberlee.Powe at ct.gov> | Office: (860) 704-2221 | https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/children | 786 S. Main St. Middletown, CT 06457| Fax: (860) 704-2228

[cid:image004.png at 01D7B9E7.87C04E30]

Ashley Sklar (she/ her) | Adult Services and Community Engagement Consultant, Division of Library Development
ashley.sklar at ct.gov<mailto:ashley.sklar at ct.gov> | Office: (860) 704-2222
libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld<https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/home> | 786 South Main St. Middletown, CT 06457 | Fax: (860) 704-2228

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://mylist.net/archives/casl-l/attachments/20211013/60729f9b/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 23281 bytes
Desc: image001.jpg
URL: <https://mylist.net/archives/casl-l/attachments/20211013/60729f9b/attachment-0001.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image005.png
Type: image/png
Size: 51778 bytes
Desc: image005.png
URL: <https://mylist.net/archives/casl-l/attachments/20211013/60729f9b/attachment-0003.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image004.png
Type: image/png
Size: 14552 bytes
Desc: image004.png
URL: <https://mylist.net/archives/casl-l/attachments/20211013/60729f9b/attachment-0004.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.png
Type: image/png
Size: 30106 bytes
Desc: image002.png
URL: <https://mylist.net/archives/casl-l/attachments/20211013/60729f9b/attachment-0005.png>