EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – On the second floor of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library is a volunteer from a community resource agency ready to help.
“There’s a lot of people looking for services. They just don’t know how to find it,” said David Stanley.
He works for the Eau Claire County Department of Human Services. Particularly for the crisis services department.
Other volunteers can come from Western Dairyland, Workforce Development, Lutheran Social Services Gaining Ground.
They all work to connect any and all communities members navigate services and resources these agencies offer.
“Meaning help. Help on how do I fill out this application. We have seen a significant increase in requests. For services such as that and help in getting those services,” said Elizabeth Steans, the library’s reference services manager.
“Here specifically, it’s been people trying to find jobs. Some people just trying to find transportation to places. And housing. Housing is a huge thing in the Chippewa Valley. And, it’s very limited,” said Stanley.
Before getting the volunteers from all these agencies on board with donating their time at the library, Steans said another library staffer would sit down with community members who needed this kind of help.
“She was very busy with a lot of clientele that were coming in seeking social service help. And a way to remedy that was to get in touch with our community partners who work in social service agencies in Eau Claire,” said Steans.
The latest update on the program this is now over a year old, is being able to find volunteers at the library twice a week and ready to help.
“Hopefully we’ll see a big uptick in people getting connected,” said Stanley.
“With this type of program it gives people an opportunity to learn how to live on their own,” said Steans.
Sessions are currently on Tuesdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. and Fridays 11 a.m.-2 p.m.