Homelessness in Public Spaces: An Assessment at a Large Public Library in San Diego

Background and Purpose: Nationwide, public libraries are experiencing an increase of “on-premise” opioid overdoses and other issues affecting library-users who contend with homelessness (e.g. suicide, human trafficking, and violence victimization). The public library in San Diego, California, presents a unique opportunity to access an otherwise hidden population in an environment that treats them with respect and dignity.

However, intervention research with patrons who are homeless at the library is somewhat scarce. Research is lacking on the opioid crisis (still occurring during COVID19), mental health crises/suicide attempts, and human trafficking risks libraries encounter daily. This paper fills this gap by examining ways a social worker at public libraries can better address the vulnerabilities of their patron population.

Methods: Sixty-three in-depth, semi-structured interviews (including 40 library staff and patrons experiencing homelessness and 4 focus groups) and brief surveys were conducted in partnership with a large public library in San Diego, California. Individuals contending with homelessness (n=49) were male (51%), heterosexual (92%), white (47%), Latino (25%), African American/black (16%), ages 20-70 (43% were 50+ years old), disabled (33%), veterans (16%), and U.S. citizens (majority). Participants were recruited via posted fliers and an email sent through the library to the staff. Interviews elicited participants’ life history narratives, including how library patrons have been impacted by homelessness, human trafficking risks, mental illness, and substance/opioid use, and their views on the potential role of a social worker in the library. Interviews from staff and patrons were transcribed verbatim and coded thematically according to grounded theory principles and an inductive approach to qualitative analysis. Descriptive survey data on attitudes, perceptions, and socio-demographic data were also analyzed.

Results: Data analysis reveals that opioid overdoses occur more frequently than believed at and around the library (daily vs. a few times a month), and that patrons using opioids lack the knowledge about how to get help for medication-assisted treatment. Data suggest that forced sexual exchanges/exploitation is prevalent and that mental health crises result in daily suspensions of patrons from the library. Survey results show a majority of library staff (93%)/patrons (69%) believe having a social worker in public libraries as a government policy change is an even greater need than shelter/housing availability (79%/67%), treatment by police (36%/59%), substance use treatment options (57%/53%), and policy change for formerly incarcerated persons (29%/29%).

Conclusions and Implications: Findings from this study collected from the library staff and patrons’ responses indicate a need for U.S. public libraries to: 1) hire a full-time clinical social worker to be on-premise every day at the library (to deliver strengths-based case management and crisis intervention); 2) include a peer advocate who can effectively outreach to the patrons living with homelessness, substance use, and mental health issues; and 3) connect patrons to knowledge, services, and to each other, e.g. to address opioid overdoses, human trafficking, suicidal ideations, and other crises happening daily at the library. The library setting presents social work with an opportunity across the nation to serve a growing sector of the public who remains largely under-served.