Since 2023, Spokane Public Library has partnered with Peer Spokane to help connect community members to critical social services at Central Library. Through this partnership, Peer Services Specialists have provided direct, compassionate support to people navigating housing instability, mental health challenges, substance use recovery, and access to healthcare and other resources.
Despite demonstrated results and clear community need, this program will end in February due to lack of funding.
The partnership began in 2023 with support from a Better Health Together Community Linkages grant. The $400,000 award allowed Spokane Public Library and Peer Spokane to place two full-time Peer Services Specialists at Central Library for approximately two years. These specialists brought lived experience, professional training, and a trauma-informed approach to supporting people who turn to the library as a safe and accessible place.
In March 2025, when the initial grant funding expired, the program was reduced from two Peer Services Specialists to one. The City of Spokane stepped in to provide temporary, stop-gap funding to maintain one Peer Services Specialist at Central Library. Unfortunately, that funding has now ended, with no additional grants available, bringing this successful program to a close.
This partnership addressed a growing reality for libraries nationwide: library services increasingly overlap with social service needs. By embedding Peer Services Specialists at Central Library, Spokane Public Library was able to respond to those needs without placing additional strain on front-line library staff, whose expertise is in library services—not social services. At a time when library services often overlap with social services, this program addressed the social needs of our customers without creating an additional burden for front-line staff who are trained in library services not social services.
Since 2023, Peer Services at Central Library has connected 1,134 unique individuals to resources for healthcare, housing, mental health services, and more to improve health outcomes. In total:
- 915 basic needs met and addressed
- 490 times folks connected to emergency shelter/housing resources
- 458 supporting people with peer emotional support on a rough day
- 457 bus passes given out to support individuals attending appointments or getting to shelter
- 277 clothing items given out
- 124 people connected to substance use recovery organizations
- 105 were helped with seeking employment, help with resumes
“Losing this funding and program will leave a tremendous hole in the services provided at Central Library,” said Andrew Chanse, Executive Director of Spokane Public Library. “The significant service that Peer Spokane has provided to our community cannot be understated. We are deeply grateful for the support and compassion the Peer Services Specialists have offered over the past three years.”
