The library’s Social Services team ensures safety in the library and refers people to resources for mental health, housing, employment, health care, immigration, domestic violence, and more. They have a wide network of resources and can assist patrons seeking social services support. Please contact Rob Simmons, Director of Social Services and Public Safety, with any questions at roberts@oppl.org or 708.697.6910
We are happy to meet or talk with library patrons about community resources or offer support as needed. We offer short-term case management to connect a patron to longer-term supports or stabilize a situation. We also partner with more than 30 organizations in the Chicagoland area who provide various types of comprehensive social services support. Examples of our direct services include:
- Make referrals to community partners and help the patron create a service plan.
- Provide a range of resource lists or do some basic online searches for specific services.
- Make phone calls to resources with the patron if needed.
- Schedule mental health intakes and refer patrons to Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center.
- Consult and coordinate with case managers and other providers on behalf of patrons.
- Provide housing support and advocacy.
- Consult with staff about how to engage with patrons that might have mental health challenges.
Referral-based support
Examples of the referral-based support that the Social Services team offers include:
- Find housing: will refer patrons to the appropriate housing assistance agency that provides outreach and case management.
- Apply for social security benefits: will refer patrons to SSA offices or agencies/attorneys who assist with Social Security.
- Find employment: will refer patrons to the appropriate employment agency.
- Apply for the public benefits such as state health plans or other subsidized programs: will refer to the Illinois Department of Human Services, Social Security Administration, or appropriate agency.
- Tech help regarding the operations of computers such as setting up a new device: will refer to library staff to make a learning lab appointment at the library.
- Legal services such as legal advice: will refer to legal aid organizations.
- Tax filing or advice: will refer to the tax forms the library has available.
Library buildings serve as de facto warming centers only during open building hours. More about building hours and scheduled closings »
Social services news
How we collaborate: Key partnerships
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused extreme social isolation among the most vulnerable populations in our community. It has also challenged social service providers to create innovative strategies to deliver much-needed resources and programs to these community members.
The library’s Social Services team has been very intentional about leveraging partnerships to ensure that people have access to services such as mental health support, housing, and employment during this extraordinary time.
The team collaborates and maintains relationships with more than 40 organizations throughout the entire Chicago area, connecting people to the services and resources they need. Here are some key partners and resources in the Oak Park area.
Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township
Assists in planning, developing, coordinating, evaluating, and funding mental health services in Oak Park.
Maintains the Health Connection Hub, a resource for finding local services for individuals and families, including senior and youth services, developmental disabilities, medical health care, behavioral/mental health services, and other social support.
Housing Forward
Transitions people from housing crisis to housing stability, with a range of programs and services.
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
We are now in our second year of working with Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine on a five-year grant in which an app is being built to help teens manage anxiety.
Dr. Ashley A. Knapp of Northwestern has conducted interviews with teens and library staff, adult and teen advisory boards have been created, and we are moving into the design stage of the project in fall 2021. We are looking forward to inviting more teens to participate in the design stage of app development.
Oak Park Homelessness Coalition
A collaboration of 50+ local organizations and individuals working to end homelessness in Oak Park, including representatives from local businesses, government, healthcare, faith-based groups, school districts, nonprofits, and service agencies. The group’s primary goal is to make homelessness brief, rare, and one-time in Oak Park.
Director of Social Services Robert Simmons participates as a Core Member. Simmons also co-chairs the Career Pathways workgroup, which focuses on coordinating job readiness and job placement throughout the community. Our Adult Education and Career Services Librarian Rashmi Swain provides integral support to the Career Pathways workgroup as well.
Oak Park Township Youth Services
Uses prevention techniques, crisis intervention, restorative justice, therapeutic involvement, case management, and coordination of wraparound services by partnering with other community agencies.
Rush University Medical Center
Since October 2019, the Social Services team has offered free mental health assessments and therapy through a partnership with Rush University Medical Center. When the COVID-10 pandemic emerged in spring 2020, Director of Social Services Robert Simmons worked with Rush clinicians to quickly pivot to offering virtual services to patrons. Community partners such as Oak Park Township Youth Services and New Moms have referred their clients to the clinic and have reported that their clients have benefitted from this resource, as mental health needs have sharply risen during the pandemic.
Why have a social worker at a library?
Joining a handful of public libraries with similar social services-based positions, including those in Evanston, Denver, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, our library hired Robert Simmons as its first social worker in February 2016. In this role, he has developed a team to provide services for the most vulnerable patrons, including those experiencing challenges such as homelessness and access to mental health support.
The decision to hire a social worker was a direct result of the library’s intentional strategy of listening and responding to community aspirations. It was also part of rethinking how we engage with all patrons, “including those who are vulnerable, marginalized, or at-risk, who use our facilities on a daily basis, and for whom we should be providing services,” said former Executive Director David J. Seleb.
As part of this approach, the library replaced externally contracted security guards with dedicated library employees. So instead of a “monitor and remove” strategy, the library’s Public Safety Specialists are trained to take a trauma-informed care approach, engaging patrons with empathy to help connect them to community resources.
“Now, we can ask, ‘What’s going on with you?’ as opposed to ‘What’s wrong with you?’” Simmons said. “We’re prioritizing respect and dignity.”
