Since the city hired a community outreach worker for the Orillia Public Library last fall, the number of concerning incidents has dropped dramatically and library staff have a newfound sense of ease carrying out their work, officials say.
The position was approved last year by city council to address ongoing social issues at the library and in the downtown core — whether related to homelessness, mental health, addictions, or other issues — which staff were unequipped to address and often prompted the need to call the OPP.
Outreach worker Eden Schwartz has been working to connect with people in downtown Orillia, and in turn connect them with the dozens of community resources in the city.
In her first nine months on the job, she said she has met with 193 different people.
“I have worked with a lot of individuals, a lot of people one-on-one, sometimes in couples or groups and, really, the focus has been helping people connect with community services,” she told OrilliaMatters. “I meet with people on average two to three times, so that's the kind of direct one-on-one support that I've been doing, and there's over 56 different organizations that I will refer to.”
So far, it’s working well.
Prior to the pandemic, when it closed to the public, the library experienced high volumes of people in distress.
Between October 2018 and March 2019, there were 44 incidents with the public, requiring 22 calls to police and ambulance, with 67 staff members responding to the incidents.
Between October 2019 and March 2020, there were 61 incidents, requiring 25 calls to police and ambulance, with 90 staff members responding.
From the time Schwartz began working in October 2022 to March 2023, however, those numbers dropped dramatically, with only 19 incidents over that span, requiring eight calls to police and ambulance and only 16 staff members responding to incidents.
“I think the biggest thing that I'm able to do … is pre-escalation work,” Schwartz said. “When somebody comes into the library, and let's say they're experiencing homelessness … this might be someone who previously would have taken up a lot of staff time and resources, (but) I'm able to speak with that person, find out what their goals are — you know, are they trying to get into Lighthouse? Are they trying to get to another shelter? And start working on all of that.”
Through building rapport with the public, Schwartz said she is then able to help reduce the number of incidents at the library.
“If we're starting to see, maybe, some behaviours that are not in line with the library's expectation of behaviours, maybe there's substance use going on, maybe they're not taking staff direction properly … I've built up a rapport with that person where we can then have a conversation and just really clearly say this is or is not acceptable,” said Schwartz.
In order to carry out her work, Schwartz maintains regular contact with dozens of social service providers within the city so that she can connect those in need with the services they require, whether that’s connecting someone directly to a service, or perhaps considering alternatives if there is a large waitlist.
She has also worked to bring social services to the library, such as the Sharing Place, and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, who have set up information tables at the library.
Since hiring Schwartz, the library has also provided training to staff.
“One of the first things we did was just make sure all staff are trained in how to administer Naloxone, how to recognize an opiate overdose, and part of that was I wrote a procedure on how we respond to an overdose within the library, and not only in the moment, but also follow up afterwards for that individual and for staff,” she said.
Soon, library staff will be trained on how to best support those experiencing homelessness in public spaces, and Schwartz said training has also been provided to dozens of city staff members, as well.
Schwartz has also been applying for grants for the library, and has received a $20,000 grant to bring free menstrual products to its washrooms.
“That has been, really, an amazing project to work on,” she said. “(I’ve heard) from people who are using those products who (don’t have) the additional $20 or $30 a month.”
“My vision is that all public buildings in this town will have free menstrual products in the next year. I'll put a timeline on it.”
Bessie Sullivan, Orillia Public Library CEO, said Schwartz’ impact has been twofold – improving both well-being for library staff and outcomes for the public.
Since beginning her role, Schwartz has regularly communicated with staff to see how they are doing, Sullivan explained.
“Psychologically, I think almost immediately, there was a much better sense of well-being in the building,” she told OrilliaMatters. “With Eden, we had a sense that we had done what we could, so staff weren't left frustrated by the process. Sometimes a better answer came from Eden being here, and sometimes it didn't, but staff felt like there was that resource who actually is an expert in that field to take that stuff on.”
Although not every situation has led to a positive outcome, Sullivan said some good stories have resulted through Eden’s role.
“We're not just being penalizing. We're listening to them, trying to help them, but at the same time guiding what our expectations are,” said Sullivan. “One individual came in (and) was really excited because they had been able to find housing based on (Schwartz’) work.”
Despite the improved situation at the library, Schwartz said she cannot take all the credit, and notes the role has been a continual learning process.
“If we didn't have staff investment, if we didn't have management’s co-investment, none of this would work,” she said. “I can bring ideas, I can bring concepts, I can make suggestions, but I think it's worked because staff has been willing to try and wanting to try something new.
“(That’s) not to say we haven't made mistakes. We've definitely made mistakes, but it's very much like we make the mistake, and then … how are we going to learn from this?”
Coun. Jay Fallis, who was on council when the position was approved, said he is quite happy to hear about how well the position is working so far.
“I'm really excited to hear that, but it doesn't surprise me, after hearing what type of stuff Eden deals with on a daily basis, and how she's able to address situations without going the police route,” he told OrilliaMatters. “It’s so much more practical and a much more sensible way of dealing with the types of issues that the library faces.”
He said there were initially discussions about increasing security at the library, but council — in consultation with community members — opted to move away from punitive measures and create the community outreach worker position.
“It's a very simple concept, but it can be a very successful concept, as well,” he said.
“This is not just in Orillia, but across Ontario, as we're dealing with a lot of challenges around addiction, mental health, this move towards helping to assist with the challenges, as opposed to going down the punishment route, can be a really effective tool. Looking to outreach workers, rather than strict enforcement, can do wonders," said Fallis.
