This March, customers at the Main Library downtown will notice something different in the Atrium. In addition to the new furniture and display cases, there are tables set up to offer a variety of social services. These tables are part of a pilot program started by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
Through the month of March, social service agencies provide handouts and literature that describe their services. Then every Friday of the month, from 9 a.m.–1 p.m., the tables are staffed by agency representatives who share information about services, help build relationships with people, and engage in intake and referral. Intake and referrals will be handled by each agency, without Library staff involvement, to uphold individuals’ privacy.
“We are eager to support social services agencies in our communities and their mission to connect to unserved or underserved individuals and families, to meet people where they are, and to help increase health literacy and mental health literacy,” said Library Civic Engagement Coordinator David Siders. “This pilot project is a work in progress, so that we can assess community need, community response, and to assess how these access points work for the social services agencies; we are encouraging feedback from the agencies.”
Agencies participating in the pilot program are:
- Cancer Justice Network
- Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services
- Hamilton County Public Health
- Mary Magdalen House
- Ohio Equity Institute
- Queen City Kitchen Over-The-Rhine
- Talbert House
- Volunteers of America Veterans Resource Center
To learn more, visit CincinnatiLibrary.org or call 513-369-6900.
