Hunger, Homelessness & Poverty Task Force – SRRT/ALA

Protection, Not Expansion: Library Referenda 2025

Lisa Gieskes — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:13:13 +0000

Results of last year’s library elections show strong support for existing work, but also caution about new initiatives.

West Side Library Officially Opens Food Pantry Inside Facility

Lisa Gieskes — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 22:44:02 +0000

Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Public Library (CPL) announced the grand opening of the Library-Based Food Access program, opens a new window at Legler Regional Library, a full-service food pantry created in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

The Library-Based Food Access program is free and operates like a full-service grocery store, providing a rotating selection of meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy and other essential staples.

The Chicago Public Library is the second library system in the nation behind Baltimore, Maryland, to launch the innovative idea, which served over 700 families in its first eight weeks.

EveryLibrary Assesses 2025 and Looks Ahead

Lisa Gieskes — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:39:37 +0000

Political action committee EveryLibrary has released its 2025 annual impact report, detailing its recent efforts to create pro-library model legislation and encourage coalition-building related to librarianship.

‘Placeless’ Author Traces the Roots and Realities of Mass Homelessness in America

Lisa Gieskes — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 21:56:12 +0000

“Patrick Markee spent two decades walking through New York City’s tunnels, armories and intake centers. His book asks: what if homelessness isn’t a personal failing, but the result of policy choices?”

Homelessness Is About Affordability

Lisa Gieskes — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 15:19:28 +0000

New York City housing advocate Patrick Markee’s new book, Placeless: Homelessness in the New Gilded Age, looks at homelessness through the lens of housing affordability.

Bronx Library and Affordable Housing

Lisa Gieskes — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 20:53:58 +0000

“New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and New York Public Library (NYPL) officials are making good on their promise to add affordable housing atop public libraries sited on city-owned land.”

Bernheimer Architecture and LEVENBETTS are partnering with HPD, NYPL, Settlement Housing Fund (SHF), and Kalel Companies to deliver 113 affordable units above another public library. (Courtesy Bernheimer Architecture)

Sharks Foundation Refreshes Elementary School Library as Part of the Goals for Kids Program

Lisa Gieskes — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 22:52:26 +0000

LEAD Elementary School Librarian Shannon McGovern said, “The [kids] are so excited about getting all of the new books, they’ve been talking about it since the first day I told them.” More than 40 volunteers from Team Teal and SAP joined nonprofit Access Books Bay Area to refurbish the library at LEAD Elementary school in … Continue reading

SC Housing Seeks Homebuilders for Innovative Affordable Housing Program

Lisa Gieskes — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 15:40:26 +0000

Cost of building affordable single-family homes would be subsidized, deadline to apply is Sept. 30.

Dolly Parton Imagination Library Expands to Alabama Foster Kids

Lisa Gieskes — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 21:59:55 +0000

State agencies broadened access, ensuring every foster child aged 0-5 receives a free book monthly, cultivating a love of reading and early success.

How Social Work Interns are Changing Lives at these Public Libraries

Lisa Gieskes — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 23:41:45 +0000

“While many homeless library patrons seek assistance, Montano said, others like 76-year-old Elizabeth Fresquez see the library as their last hope to keep their housing and find other services.”