Millennium Library opens community hub in lobby

Visitors at downtown Winnipeg's Millennium Library have a new space to access information and services after the city unveiled a new community hub in the lobby of the Graham Avenue building.

The space, dubbed Community Connections, connects people with social supports as well as library services, including items to help meet basic needs, the city said in a news release.

Winnipeg library employees, including community crisis workers, staff the hub, which will also host other community agencies. 

They will offer information on a range of services, including shelter and housing, social assistance, benefits, employment, ID assistance, mental health and addiction services, and food security.

The space also has a fridge, microwave, coffee maker, water, coffee, tea and light snacks for people in need.

Community agencies have space to meet with clients, and a phone, computer, Wi-Fi and device charging are also available.

Visitors can also access a washroom with a sharps disposal container.

The group Millennium for All formed in 2019 in response to the Millennium Library implementing airport-like security screening for all visitors, with bag checks and metal detectors.

"Being in this space without the airport-like security screening and in its place, the community connection space is really a tremendous testament to the impact that community has when we come together," said Joe Curnow, a spokesperson for the group.

Library officials said the measures were necessary because library staff were dealing with violence, but the backlash led to the city changing library security measures again in the summer of 2020.

Curnow says the new space is beautiful, and signals a change in the approach the city takes toward safety and security.

After the backlash against the screening measures, the city approached the group Fearless R2W, which collaborated on developing a pilot training program for community safety workers to help patrol city libraries. That program launched last fall.

The federal government contributed $177,000 from the Canada Community Revitalization Fund toward the hub, which had a total budget of $236,000.

Curnow says her group would like to see the city provide more ongoing funding for the hub to extend its hours and increase staffing. The hub is open limited hours during weekdays and closed on the weekends.

"We're calling on the city to fully fund the staffing at 100 per cent, and really increase that funding level because overall research and community-led librarianship tells us that having well-staffed libraries creates a culture of safety," she said.