Frances Morrison Library’s move to hire two social workers may take pressure off police, according to an inspector with the service.
Saskatoon’s downtown library has hired two social workers as an effort to help people who turn to the library for shelter and security.
"We have people who come to our desks, they're looking for resources. You know they might be a newcomer, coming to this city trying to navigate the city," Beth Cote said.
“The main point is to have an impact on the community and meet peoples’ needs at their point of need.”
Currently, when librarians are unsure how to respond to people who need help beyond the library, police are often called.
"We do get a lot of phone calls and they tend to be social problems sometimes, not criminal in nature,” Saskatoon Police Inspector Randy Huisman said.
“[Social workers] could [reduce police calls] because they’re going to be resource brokers for all the community supports across Saskatoon.”
The library’s two new positions will be unionized, each with a salary around $50,000.
They’re expected to start on Oct. 1.
