Becoming Kinder, Gentler

MY LOCAL SMALL TOWN LIBRARY is a favorite hangout of mine. new, clean, with a lot of glass and sunshine, I don't care that it isn't often quiet, or that it has on a few thousand books. With computers and amazon, who cares? In every community in America the local public library is a favorite hangout of people with no other place to go, a favorite place for homeless people to spend their days. In most towns, this causes problems. Those imbued with a sense of superiority would prefer that the homeless simply disappear; they are annoying, they don't always show up redolent with expensive perfumed fragrances, they don't dress appropriately in clean, starched shirts. They are easy to spot. Everyone who uses a public library regularly can pick them out; unshaven, with soiled clothes and imperfect teeth. We are not a culture of homeless-friendly folk. But that may be changing. Dallas is blazing the trail towards a more inclusive, caring approach to the homeless. they are welcome in the library, and even are offered a chance to participate in activities, such as music lessons and book club membership. Job training programs are being instituted. Some urban libraries are hiring community outreach professionals, and mental health specialists, since many if not most of america's homeless suffer from mental illnesses and disabilities. They are offered coffee, and maybe a snack or two. No, they can't spend the night, but if they can make it through the night, under whatever bridge, the Dallas library is waiting the next day. The concept is spreading to other cities. A kinder, gentler America may be just around the corner. And maybe, just maybe, there will come a time when the homeless are provided an actual place to live.