ABOUT THIS BOOK

Homelessness is a perennial topic of concern at libraries. In fact, staff at public libraries interact with almost as many homeless individuals as staff at shelters do. Empathy and understanding, along with specific actionable advice that’s drawn from experience, makes all the difference in working with this group. In this book Dowd, executive director of a homeless shelter, spotlights best practices drawn from his own shelter’s policies and training materials. Filled with to-the-point guidance that will help frontline public library staff and managers understand and serve this population better, this resource

includes facts about homelessness every librarian should know;
debunks widespread myths about these individuals, explaining how they see themselves, what issues they struggle with, and how libraries can shift towards supporting them;
shares de-escalation techniques like showing respect, ways to avoid making things personal, and using proper body language;
walks readers through dealing with common issues like a sleeping patron, questionable hygiene, offensive behavior, and asking a patron to leave; and
advises on how to provide backup to a colleague and when to call the police.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Ryan J. Dowd has spent most of his career as Executive Director of a large homeless shelter near Chicago. In addition, he trains organizations around the globe (including libraries, homeless shelters, and hospitals) on how to use empathy-driven enforcement with homeless individuals. For more information, visit http://www.homelesslibrary.com.

REVIEWS

"After experiencing a critical incident with a transient individual at our library, I knew my staff and I needed more training on how to react mindfully, so that we were respecting the individual while keeping ourselves and our other patrons safe. I signed up for Ryan Dowd's webinar on working with individuals experiencing homelessness in libraries and read his book on the same topic. His empathy-driven approached resonated with my existing value system and gave me practical tools I could start using immediately. The poignant vignettes peppered throughout the text gave me confidence that these tried-and-true methods were provided by someone working in the trenches on a daily basis, not sprouting lofty ideas from a comfortable office that would fall apart under the pressure of real-world library work. I haven't looked back.”
— Jenn Carson, Library Director, L.P. Fisher Public Library, Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada

"Taken as a customer service kit on how to deal with every problem patron, the book is invaluable. Empathy-driven enforcement is beneficial to our interactions with teens, stressed moms, and entitled customers in addition to those experiencing homelessness.”
— The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion

"This thoughtful and practical guide will help librarians better understand the homeless population ... Readers will find Dowd's advice easy to understand and apply.”
— Choice

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments
Introduction: Who Am I? Who Are You?

Part I Homelessness and Empathy

Chapter 1 Top Ten Homeless Myths
Chapter 2 Homeless People Are (Not) Just like You
Chapter 3 Empathy: The Psychological, Neurological, and Social Bases for It

Part II Empathy-Driven Enforcement

Chapter 4 Empathy vs. Punishment
Chapter 5 Step 1: Your Head Tools
Chapter 6 Step 2: Your Body Tools
Chapter 7 Step 3: Your Word Tools
Chapter 8 Advanced Tools

Part III Special Situations

Chapter 9 Everyday Predicaments
Chapter 10 Mental Illness
Chapter 11 Substance Abuse
Chapter 12 Hygiene
Chapter 13 Sleeping
Chapter 14 Possessions
Chapter 15 Children

Part IV Beyond Problem-Solving

Chapter 16 Advice for Managers and Leaders
Chapter 17 How Best to Help Homeless Patrons

The End of Homelessness
Appendix Key Phrases
Index