Daniel McIntyre Councillor Cindy Gilroy brought forward a motion to reinstate the funding for the Millenium library’s Community Connections program at the Jan. 6th City Centre Community Committee meeting, which was unanimously moved to the Standing Comittee on Public Works.
“We’re moving backwards, not forwards, in terms of how we need to deal with addiction and mental health in the city,” Coun. Gilroy says. “This is a really vital piece of community connection.”
The program was created in April 2022 by a working group of local citizens, community-based organizations, and professional library staff to respond to growing social issues, including poverty, homelessness, and untreated addictions and mental health conditions, but was cut from the City of Winnipeg budget and closed January 1st this year.
People who dropped into the cozy space at the front of the library building, formerly a small cafe, were welcomed by a greeter who could direct them to resources and helpers, sometimes provide a bottle of water or juice, arrange assistance in finding and filling out forms such as job applications, or meet and talk to a counsellor about an issue.
Helpers provided access to resources such as legal assistance, jobs searches, tax filing, and social support without individuals having to enter the library.
Community Connections’ budget of $614 000 was used to pay full-time equivalent staff, a librarian, community safety hosts and part-time library assistants.
Additionally, community safety hosts were trained in security and trauma crisis support to de-escalate situations involving individuals in crisis.
Coun. Gilroy also said that the program was valuable for ensuring the Millenium stays safe.
“With [Community Connections] in place, we have seen a decrease in [safety issues],” Coun. Gilroy says.
“I have been there personally and have witnessed deescalation by staff working in the community connections space.”
As well as safety, Community Connections handled 45% of customer inquiries at the Millennium Library, making it a central resource for community members to gain access to information and assistance.
Without the program, much of this work would fall onto staff within the library.
“This group of core people, that are from the community, really engage with people that are coming off the streets,” Coun. Gilroy says. “Some of them are unhoused and they’re needing support right away and [the workers] are able to manage and deal with them without having to go into the library.”
Gilroy says that libraries are a critical free space for individuals in the city, looking for entertainment, resources, or just somewhere to be.
“People are using libraries differently than they did 50 years ago and that’s the reality,” Coun. Gilroy said.
She also says that spaces like Community Connections are valuable for individuals new to Canada who may not be familiar with how the library works.
“Another portion of the community are newcomers that are coming to libraries and not understanding what libraries are about,” Coun. Gilroy says. “They’re very new to it, but really want to understand and get support regarding what kind of opportunities they can get from the library.”
Concerns regarding the end of funding for Community Connections were brought to council mid-way through last year.
“It’s a well used space and I really do not understand, in what we are seeing out there in the community, if something is working, why we’re taking it away,” Coun. Gilroy says.
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