JULY 18, 2024

COMMUNITY VITALITY 2024

London Public Library

Transitional Case Worker Program

GRANT: $280,000 FOR 3 YEARS

Libraries are traditionally seen as places of education, but as Michael Ciccone, CEO and Chief Librarian at London Public Library (LPL) explains, they are more than that:

“London Public Library is deeply embedded, essential infrastructure that provides community gathering space that’s free, accessible, and open to the public.”

As the health and homelessness crisis in London has worsened in recent years, the downtown Central Library, in particular, has been serving an ever-increasing number of individuals whose needs its staff aren’t equipped or trained to serve, as Manager of Customer Services & Branch Operations, Elizabeth Sutter, explains:

“It is a place where people can stay for many hours a day without being asked to leave. It is a space that offers sanctuary from the elements. By the very nature of our essential place in the community, managing patrons with mental health and addiction issues has become a core service for staff and security guards not trained nor credentialed to fully address their needs or manage their behaviour.”

Cassandra Hobden of CMHA Thames Valley Addiction & Mental Health Services, and Elizabeth Sutter of London Public Library.

To meet this need, LPL has partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services (CHMA-TVAMHS), establishing an 18-month pilot project that saw a Transitional Case Worker from CMHA-TVAMHS based at the Central Library, where they’ve become invaluable to library staff, security, and the clients they’ve been serving.

Relaxing activities such as games and puzzles are available to help create a friendly and non-threatening environment for anyone needing to see the case worker..

Over this time, the case worker has seen between 60 and 82 clients a month, connecting them to services that support their mental health, addiction, food security, housing, and other needs. Often, these are individuals who might not have connected with CMHA-TVAMHS, or other community services, but the friendly and welcoming environment of a library adds a level of comfort that can make people more receptive to receiving help.

Up to now, this service has been paid for by a combination of operating funds and donations to LPL, but the $280,000, Community Vitality grant the library is receiving will secure this vital service for the next three years.

Find out more about the other Community Vitality recipients: