The unexpected role librarians are playing in Sacramento’s homeless crisis (sacbee.com)

For many of Sacramento’s homeless men and women, the public library is a haven from harsh weather, a primary source for bathroom facilities, a place to rest from the stress of the streets.

But as the homeless crisis deepens in the capital city and around the country, libraries increasingly are seeing people with untreated mental illnesses that cause them to act oddly, or put themselves or others in danger.

Now, for the first time, employees of Sacramento’s library system are taking training to help them respond to customers who appear to be suffering from mental problems.

Thirty librarians and other staffers who work in locations across the city gathered inside downtown’s Central Library last week to take part in the system’s first “Mental Health First Aid” training, a national program geared toward detecting the signs of mental illness and substance abuse.

To read more of Cynthia Hubert's article, please click here.