PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Camden County Library System has hired a full-time social worker to provide free, confidential support to residents.
T’Keyah Hose will have scheduled office hours each month at the county’s eight libraries to help residents with several issues that County Commissioner Virginia Betteridge says were often brought to librarians on staff.
“When they're in there, they develop a relationship with the librarians, and the librarians have become social workers, right? Because they'll say, ‘I'm having an issue with XYZ,’ and maybe that's something that the librarian is familiar with, and maybe she's not, but being at the library, they're very resourceful,” Betteridge said.
Betteridge says Hose will travel to all library branches monthly to help with SNAP benefits, employment and utility bill assistance, senior resources and health care.
Betteridge says the library is much more than just a place to check out books, it is a pillar of community support, and hiring a social worker to assist with the community needs is a tremendous forward-thinking service.
“We've been realizing that there was a tremendous need to bring a service to the people, and I'm just really happy that we've been able to bring this to fruition, because my observation of this need goes back a couple decades ago.”
To make an appointment, call 856-633-6216 or email socialworker@camdencountylibrary.org.