From Ryan Dowd's Tips for Working With Homelessness
Dear Ryan,
How do I succinctly explain to another patron that we need to practice kindness and compassion with our fellow library patrons? I get complaints and comments from patrons that the library is becoming a "de facto" homeless shelter, particularly when the temperatures are severe. I find my knee-jerk reaction is to be angry with the patron for only seeing that we have dirty or “interesting” people visiting, and not understanding that they are humans with rights. What can I say without sounding condescending and making them feel bad about being judgmental?
And while sometimes their complaints are along the lines of “There is a group of rough-looking people waiting for the bus”, other times they have been useful in helping us identify the person who is drinking and leaving liquor bottles and beer cans all over the place, so I can’t just dismiss every complaint. It is a complex situation!
Anonymous
Ryan's Answer:
I get a variation of this question during every live Q&A I do. It’s tough because non-homeless people can be really ornery!
I use (and recommend) a two-part response:
Part 1: Say something like “We take seriously the libraries role to serve patrons of every socioeconomic status and situation.”
Part 2: Say something like “And we take our rules seriously. We work to create a safe environment for all, holding everyone accountable to our standards of conduct.”
The reason for this two-part response is that questions about homeless patrons usually come from two places (one legitimate and one not):
Illegitimate: Why do you allow poor people to use a facility paid for with my tax dollars? I have a right to never witness poverty or homelessness.
I have absolutely no patience for this. If you don’t want to witness homelessness/poverty, then help us end them! You don’t get to merely ban it from the public sphere. Part one of my two-part response is a little shaming.
Legitimate: Is my family safe here? Are you so liberal (or afraid) that you are going to let individuals on drugs do whatever they want?
I think it is fair for someone to expect to be reasonably safe in public spaces. The second part of the two-part response tries to validate their legitimate concerns (while separating them from the illegitimate ones).
Does this two-part response work all the time? No, but nothing works all the time. It does work more often than not, though.
