3 ms·

Libraries are one of the last bastions of being able to be somewhere legally without spending money. With the homeless crisis we shouldn't be surprised that the

Libraries are one of the last bastions of being able to be somewhere legally without spending money. With the homeless crisis we shouldn't be surprised that these places are used in this way - it's 100% an expected outcome. It's a logistics and resources problem - libraries are: shelter, safety, heating/cooling, running water, restrooms, a place to sit... Truth is we don't afford that to everyone here and a lot of people ignore the cruelty/suffering. Hell - some even justify and celebrate it.

Rufbdbskrufb473 4y ago
> Libraries are one of the last bastions of being able to be somewhere legally without spending money. What other free indoor facilities existed in the past?
- yurishimo 4y ago
  Churches were and arguably are, still a big one. Granted, only one day a week but still. I think it's fine to encourage people to spend time at the library. I know as a kid, I grew a lot as a person at our local library. They had after school activities once a week, it was about a mile down the road, so we had to learn to be responsible walking after school. The librarians were always kind to us, even though I'm sure as teenagers we probably weren't always a carbon copy of the model, upstanding citizen. I could spend time with my friends discussing various topics, with easy information available if we couldn't agree on the facts. Plus, I kissed my wife for the first time on the bench outside. Libraries are great :)
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - whatshisface 4y ago
    >Churches were and arguably are, still a big one. Granted, only one day a week but still. You're expected to donate, you're just allowed not to.
  - acjohnson55 4y ago
    Some churches, especially catholic ones or historic buildings, are still open all week.
  - wyclif 4y ago
    Not just one day a week. A lot of churches open to homeless all during the week. It makes sense because it's a waste of resources to let a large heated building sit empty the other 6 days of the week that aren't Sunday when they can use that space to help the less fortunate.

Rufbdbskrufb473 4y ago

> Libraries are one of the last bastions of being able to be somewhere legally without spending money. What other free indoor facilities existed in the past?

yurishimo 4y ago
Churches were and arguably are, still a big one. Granted, only one day a week but still. I think it's fine to encourage people to spend time at the library. I know as a kid, I grew a lot as a person at our local library. They had after school activities once a week, it was about a mile down the road, so we had to learn to be responsible walking after school. The librarians were always kind to us, even though I'm sure as teenagers we probably weren't always a carbon copy of the model, upstanding citizen. I could spend time with my friends discussing various topics, with easy information available if we couldn't agree on the facts. Plus, I kissed my wife for the first time on the bench outside. Libraries are great :)
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- whatshisface 4y ago
  >Churches were and arguably are, still a big one. Granted, only one day a week but still. You're expected to donate, you're just allowed not to.
- acjohnson55 4y ago
  Some churches, especially catholic ones or historic buildings, are still open all week.
- wyclif 4y ago
  Not just one day a week. A lot of churches open to homeless all during the week. It makes sense because it's a waste of resources to let a large heated building sit empty the other 6 days of the week that aren't Sunday when they can use that space to help the less fortunate.