The Footpath Library
Enriching the quality of life for homeless people, encourage literacy and promoting a society that is well informed about homelessness.
The Footpath Library (TFL) encourages the benefits of reading and connection by giving quality books to homeless people through libraries installed in hostels and community organisations, as well as mobile libraries. TFL is pitching for funding to establish a Bibliotherapy literacy program in homeless hostels in Sydney.
2015 Pitch
Funds raised: $22,800
With a literacy specialist already engaged, The Footpath Library presented at The Funding Network in Sydney in October 2015 for resources to trial a unique literacy outreach program with a select group of city hostels interested in offering this service to their clients.
The impact...
On any given night, one in 200 people in Australia are homeless. Many of these people who shelter within our communities are highly literate while others struggle and find reading a real challenge. A properly designed literacy program, targeting need and maximising efficacy, is what The Footpath Library wants to make available to the homeless community: a human centred program design which considers the needs and expectations of each participant and, importantly, differentiates between specialist needs (such as ESL for homeless folks with limited English language skills) and 'everyday' literacy needs (to read the newspaper, help a child with their homework, or even just write a letter).
A year later, The Footpath Library has completed a feasibility study and used the specific outcomes, benefits and learnings to inform a considered reappraisal of its everyday literacy objectives and the resources required to effectively operate such a program. The trial feasibility study - undertaken in consultation with hostel staff, homeless service organisations and a selection of hostel clients - has been an important opportunity for beneficiaries to request and influence future services. Over the first half of 2017, The Footpath Library will be implementing Salesforce for NFP and commissioning research into literacy and capacity levels among the homeless clients through UTS. We look forward to bringing you an update on that research in the second half of 2017.
Read their Impact Report
Learn more about The Footpath Library.
Supporting Sustainable Development Goals:
