Specialized Staff Serving Influx of Homeless Library Patrons

The entrance to the Community Resource Center at Kansas City Public Library Central Branch in Kansas City, MO. (Chase Castor | Flatland.)

People experiencing homelessness in Kansas City often find refuge in public libraries when shelter options are limited during the day. However, metro-area library systems also provide assistance that goes beyond temporary protection from the weather.  In fact, the Kansas City Public Library has built an entire department around helping the city’s unhoused, providing a range…

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College Students Grapple with Housing Troubles as Costs Soar

A photo of a dormitory hall. At the foreground of the photo is a green lawn with a curved sidewalk path cutting through it on the left side of the photo. The dormitory is a red color and stretches horizontally across the photo. A large tree partially covers the right side of the building.

Sydney Johnson did everything right. Still, water poured from her ceiling.  The now-graduated University of Missouri student spent winter break taking classes and staying at her off-campus apartment. A few weeks earlier, property management sent instructions for how to avoid pipe bursts during cold months, which Johnson followed.  But her upstairs neighbors were not so…

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