By Haneen Alkabasi, intern
Over the past winter, the Bristol Public Library Bristol Public Library opened its doors overnight during those times the governor enacted a cold weather protocol, but the library is often a sanctuary on a daily basis for Bristol’s homeless population.
“There are homeless people here every day in large numbers,” Scott Stanton, assistant director, said about this past winter. “We do our best. Ninety-nine percent of the time we have a very good relationship.”
Stanton said the Bristol Public Library has always been a warming and cooling center during its open hours. He said occasionally they have behavioral issues they have to deal with but that is not the majority.
Stanton said the overnight shelter had approximately 45 people over a four-night span.
“It went fairly smoothly,” Stanton said. “There was one incident where somebody was intoxicated, and the police had to remove them.”
Stanton said nobody is banned from the library based on their background or socio-economic status. He said they are open to everybody as long as they can behave themselves. Everyone is welcome here, he said.
Overnight, the libraries three meeting rooms in the basement were used when the cold weather protocol was in effect, he said, and it was primarily staffed by Bristol’s City Emergency Response Team (CERT).
Bristol’s CERT is made up of volunteers who work with the city emergency management director. He said their custodians and Bristol Police were also involved.
Stanton said the library is a center where people can get warm or cool off during the extreme weather as long as they obey the conduct rules.
“This is a city facility,” he said and the city “decided it was the best way to go.”
Emergency management director Harland Graime said as long as homeless people act properly, there is no reason they cannot be at the library during normal operating hours.
He said in January, every city and town in the state opened an emergency shelter to protect the homeless or anybody who needed a warm place to stay overnight.
“In conjunction with the mayor and the cold weather winter agency task force, we opened the shelter at the library because it was downtown within proximity to the other homeless shelters in the area,” Graime said.
He said this happened in the past about five to six years ago for two nights.
“I think it’s the best location we have at the present time because it is a city owned building and it is sort of centrally located and everybody knows where it is,” Graime said.
He said they were assisted by members, nurses and social workers from the Bristol Burlington Health District.
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