Library Partnership
The Library Partnership represents a dynamic new approach to neighborhood engagement in which all members of the community - parents, local government, schools, businesses, public and private agencies - join together as equal partners to begin the process of identifying and achieving mutual goals and objectives. In one area of the Library Partnership, residents have at their disposal a fully functioning branch of the library, while in another area the Neighborhood Resource Center offers a broad array of family support programs that are facilitated by more than 30 community agencies. More than half of the facility consists of office and meeting space for services. The center officially opened in July of 2009, and its primary goal is to safely reduce the number of children entering out-of-home care by strengthening families so they can remain in the home.
The Library Partnership includes more than 7,000 square foot of storefront space that is located in the heart of east Gainesville within blocks of middle and elementary schools.
The Resource Center is a family/community friendly place where the overall goal is to strengthen the community by supporting the families and communities in which they live by:
- Offering services that provide children a healthy start both physically and emotionally via services such as school readiness activities, Healthy Start services, child development classes and infant screening and diagnostic services.
- Offering parent-child activities to help parents learn the importance of early interaction with their children, tutoring and mentoring programs, relative caregiver support, and offering an array of services to help families avoid a crisis or respond to a crisis.
- Offering a place where families and other community members can come together to share, support each other, learn about and benefit from their community’s resources.
The Library Partnership, with the assistance of community partners, assists families with services in the following areas:
- Family Support & Child Development – Family activities and services requested by the families which may include but are not limited to: mentoring, parenting classes, tutoring and peer support.
- Health & Safety – Referral links to health services, resources for children and/or adults, prevention and wellness education efforts.
- Self-Sufficiency – Concrete help for immediate needs with a view to long term solutions - GED, job skills training, employability, housing, transportation, managing a household budget.
