Friends of the Library President Laura Schneider (center) gave the Palisades Task Force on Homelessness a check for $10,000 to help fund a clinical case manager. (Left to right) The People Concern, Director of Westside Outreach Zach Coil,
Case Manager Dyamon White, PPTFH Chair of Fundraising Carol Sanborn and PPTFH Co-President Sharon Browning.
The Friends of the Palisades Library board announced last September that it would donate $10,000 to the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness to help hire a clinical case manager through The People Concern.
Dyamon White was hired and started her work with the PPTFH in November.
“We thank The Friends for its generosity and vision and welcomes them and any other civic organization as a partner in sharing the goal of compassionately addressing the consequences of homelessness in Pacific Palisades,” PPTFH leaders said in a statement.
Residents had been concerned about the number of homeless living in the Palisades Library entrance alcove. Those people had been offered help through PPTFH social workers but had refused. It was felt that a clinical case manager might better reach those who are service resistant, including those living beyond the library area.
The PPTFH started fundraising to hire a person to fill that position.
The board of the Pacific Palisades Library Association (known as the Friends of the Palisades Library) devoted its August 9 quarterly meeting and a follow-up meeting on August 23 to discuss the concerns raised by community members regarding homelessness and library patron safety.
When Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18, which banned homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools, took effect on September 18, the need for helping the service resistant was dire, because the library is across the street from Corpus Christi School.
The Friends donated $10,000 to PPTFH that was funded from unrestricted gifts, not from membership dues or book-sale proceeds.
Friends President Laura Schneider explained that the funding commitment “is intended to signal [the board’s] desire to be part of the solution to our local homeless crisis while also affirming the distinct and proper roles of our local community organizations… [and] is intended to fulfill the Friends’ mission of fostering goodwill and understanding between the library and the community.
“Solving this problem [homelessness] is well outside the scope of the Friends’ mission, [and we] hope our actions as an organization will be a step in the direction of uniting the Palisades as a thoughtful and compassionate community,” Schneider said.
PPTFH thanked The Friends for its generosity and vision and welcomed them and any other civic organization as a partner in sharing the goal of compassionately addressing the consequences of homelessness in Pacific Palisades.