Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

When the expanded and renovated Gabrielle- Roy Library reopens in March, it will be more than a place to study and borrow books. People experiencing homelessness, many of whom rely on city libraries to warm up, charge their devices and enjoy a few hours of peace and quiet, will be able to access social support and housing support resources at the library through the work of a designated resource person. “There have always been vulnerable people in Saint-Roch; there’s nothing new about that,” said Montcalm-Saint- Sacrement Coun. Catherine Vallières-Roland, the city’s point person on the library project. “With the pandemic and the housing crisis, homelessness is on the rise…and we want the library to remain an open and inclusive place where both homeless and housed people will feel safe.”

Vallières-Roland said the resource person, whose hiring has not been announced as of this writing, would have a background in social work and be in a position to “build trust and de-escalate certain situations” which might lead to conflict between library users. “A significant part of their work will be to support tolerance and calm the social climate,” Vallières-Roland said. The resource person will also connect vulnerable people with other services in the community. A security officer will be on duty in the library.

At least nine Canadian cities, including Winnipeg and Edmonton, have hired or announced plans to hire staff dedicated to homelessness outreach within the past several years; Vallières-Roland said the initiative at the Gabrielle- Roy Library was inspired by a project in Drummondville.

The decades-old library was closed for major repairs in August 2019 and was initially scheduled to reopen in 2021, but the pandemic, the labour shortage and construction problems led to major delays. As previously reported in the QCT, the four-storey library will be 25 per cent larger than its predecessor. The space will be organized for “harmonious cohabitation” and easy monitoring by library staff. Its collections will be organized into thematic areas (children’s space, culinary space, city life space, comic book space, language and literature space, creative space, travel space, music and film space, society and culture space, nature space and science and technology space) bringing together books and magazines, multimedia content and areas to watch and listen to that content, and collaborative workspaces. The glass-fronted building will include exhibition rooms, recording and broadcasting facilities and a creative hub with publicly accessible digital tools for artists and community organizations. It will also feature a “culinary hall” and a collection of 10,000 books in languages other than French, mainly English and Spanish. Vallières-Roland said she intends for the library to serve as an “entry door to the community” for new immigrants, people experiencing homelessness and anyone else who is as-yet unfamiliar with what the library has to offer.