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G2S Project Code: 2020-DC-85027
State: District of Columbia
Fiscal Year: 2020
Grantee
District of Columbia Public Library

Project Director
Director Name: Jean Badalamenti
Director Phone: 202.727.1107
Director Email: jean.badalamenti@dc.gov
General Information
Title: Peer Outreach Program
State Project Code:
Start Date: 10/01/2019
End Date: 09/30/2021
Abstract: The Peer Outreach Program at DC Public Library engages with library customers experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, mental illness and/or substance use disorders. Peers are individuals with lived experience of homelessness. Peers meet customers at library branches to assist those that need support to obtain critical documents such as birth certificates, government photo identification and social security cards. Peers work with customers to find shelter, housing, treatment programs, mental health services, food, clothing and much more. Peers function as role models by demonstrating their competency in personal recovery with the deft use of coping skills, and by serving as a consumer advocate who provides clients with information and support. Critical to the work of a peer is building rapport and trust with a customer so that the hard work of moving out of homelessness, and/or into recovery, can begin.


State Goal: Access to Information
Budget Information
LSTA
MATCH-State
MATCH-Other
Total
$115,871.10
$0.00
$0.00
$115,871.10
Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to participate in their community.
Business & Finance
Health & Wellness
Activities
Activity Details
Title: Peer Outreach Services
Narrative: This fiscal year, as DCPL slowly opened to increased in-person service, the Peer Outreach Program adapted and created a service model that meets the needs of the library system, customers needing services, and the larger homeless services and mental health systems in the District of Columbia. This year peers were assigned to only one branch per day.  The three peers have been meeting with customers at six locations throughout the system. Now that the Martin Luther King. Jr. Memorial Library, the central library, has reopened after a three year renovation, a peer is working out of that location five-days a week. The MLK Library has always been a hub of activity for individuals experiencing homelessness, and that continues to be the case as the word has spread that MLK Library is open for business. Customers can meet with a peer once, or on an ongoing basis to get support with a variety of services. Meetings can include any of the following: trust/rapport building, completing a housing assessment, discussion of clients goals and objectives, obtaining referrals for services in the community, including referrals for pandemic-related short-term housing, transitional housing, or permanent housing. Peers have begun to accompany some clients to appointments, but this is slow to return as much of the referral work is still being done virtually. Peer are no longer working virtually, they are onsite M-F for 30 hours per week.


Intent: Improve users’ ability to participate in their community.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Consultation/drop-in/referral
Format: In-person


Quantity
Total number of consultation/reference transactions: 740
Average number of consultation/reference transactions per month: 60


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: Targeted
Geographic community of the targeted group: Urban
For what age groups: 18-25 years
26-49 years
50-59 years
60-69 years
70+ years
For what economic types: Below Poverty
For what ethnicity types: Ethnicity Not Applicable
Is the activity directed at families: No
Is the activity directed at intergenerational groups: No
Is the activity directed at immigrants/refugees: No
Is the activity directed at those with disabilities: No
Limited functional literacy or informational skills: No
Is the activity category not already captured: Yes: People experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 26
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
This year, peers were more engaged with the process of getting homeless consumers into both short-term and long-term housing. Through the pandemic, much of the city-wide system of connecting individuals to housing went from in-person to virtual. The peers did a great job of pivoting to this digital space and have been successful at referring and ensuring people are connected with a housing resource and move into a place of their own. In fact, peers completed 160 housing assessments, referred 20 people to pandemic short-term housing for those individuals who are homeless and at highest risk of dying from COVID, moved 10 people into transitional housing programs and 60 people were assisted with getting critical documents such as Birth Certificates, ID’s, and Social Security Cards, all of which are needed to move into permanent housing. This year, the Peer Outreach Program played a pivotal role in completing housing assessments for consumers. Housing assessments are necessary so that individuals can be connected with an appropriate housing resource (vouchers for permanent supportive housing and other types of housing) should one come available. Not all providers have access to housing assessments and the city's Homeless Management Information System(HMIS), where assessments are tracked. DCPL Peers also played an important role to support several agencies, mental health agencies and recovery providers, without access to the HMIS system and housing assessments by working in partnership and completing housing assessments for those organizations.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
Going forward, the core work of the peer program remains the one-on-one engagement with library customers needing access to services and peer support. However, it has become abundantly clear that peers need skills in the digital space more than ever. It will be necessary, should DCPL expand the peer program, that additional peers have these skills and are ready to work in this arena. Peers will need skills in everything from ZOOM to online databases.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
The public library has long been a place where people experiencing homelessness gather. Having peer support at the public library offers an opportunity for people to connect with support and services that can reduce harm, foster connection, and perhaps even move someone off the street and into housing. This work is not linear. It can take many months and many years for change to happen. What is critical is that the support is there when someone wants it. What is critical, and why a peer program is unlike others, is that peers have been there and know how difficult it can be to navigate services to facilitate a change.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:
Exemplary: Yes
Exemplary NarrativeDCPL's peer specialists are transformative to how the library provides service to our customers experiencing homelessness, and they also serve as models for all library staff members in how to support all of our customers with dignity and respect. This work is a national model and DCPL's peers are networked with other public library peer specialists.
Project Tags: Social service, peer navigators, homelessness