This blog post is by Matthew L., Workforce and Economic Development Librarian.
Karl Wagner, a Resource Navigator with Community Workforce and Development, and Valerie ElGhaouti from VoteRiders table together at various libraries around Pima County, offering their assistance to people experiencing homelessness and people who need an ID or other employment, health or financial resources. Librarian Jessica Miesner and I spoke with Karl and Valerie about their work.
Karl usually starts his work with people by assessing them using a vulnerability index questionnaire to put them in a position for housing assistance. He helps by providing access to pet food, hygiene items, clothing, and cell phones when there is funding. He provides referrals for domestic violence and detox as well as mental health services. When he can get someone into housing, he also provides access to employment services, including training, so that the person can thrive with an income that will sustain that housing. Karl said, “The last thing I want to see is someone getting placed in housing but then evicted, therefore having another barrier to housing.”
Karl added, “The need for my services is intense. Rent is up, and inflation is taking its toll on people’s finances. Wages have not gone up much and everybody is struggling. A majority of people are living paycheck to paycheck and with finances so tight, people are just one emergency, crisis, or death in the family away from homelessness. For some people it can be humiliating asking for help, but everybody needs help sometime in their life. There is no reason to feel shame.” Karl is seeing more elderly and more families with young children needing his assistance. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said.
VoteRiders is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that can help our Southern AZ community pay for IDs and any supporting documents they need. They work to ensure everyone has the documents they need to cast a ballot. VoteRiders can help people overcome the barriers to vote in an election, apply for a job, get a car, find housing, or acquire monthly food boxes. VoteRiders doesn’t require you to vote to help with your documentation.
VoteRiders can even help individuals with transportation to get their documentation, utilizing Lyft and Uber to give people rides to government offices like the social security office. Valerie says, “We help people who aren’t eligible to vote, like for instance if a person is caught up in the criminal justice system and is convicted of a felony. We can also help people get their gender marker changed on an ID and help pay for name changes.”
Karl related a story of a gentleman who was sleeping in the wash by his Kino location who came into his office suicidal. Mostly through his own hustling and work ethic, this person took advantage of the opportunities presented to him and now is in housing and thriving. He stops into the office periodically to check in with the staff and thank them for listening to him and respecting him when he needed it most. Karl said, “I most enjoy helping people and advocating for people who others turn a blind eye to. My goal is to rehumanize people who are often overlooked and dehumanized.”
Valerie related a story as well, “A woman named Theresa and her dog were at CSL to donate plasma so she could get money for resources she needed. I shared what I do with her, and she let me know she needed an ID because hers was stolen. She had worked in public service for many years but found herself now trying to access the services she had previously provided to people. This drove home to me that we are all vulnerable and as much as we want to believe we can control what happens, we're all subject to circumstance and change. I gave her a flier and my number and let her know we had a mailing address she could use when ordering her ID. When her ID came in, I called her, and delivered her ID.”
Karl and Valerie both shared how important their partnership with the library is. Valerie thinks of librarians as magicians and that every library worker she’s encountered has been very helpful. Karl emphasized that his department could not reach the community where they are without the library. Jessica and I believe that Valerie and Karl help the library’s mission to connect people to the information and resources they need to take their next steps and thrive in our community.
You can find Karl and Valerie tabling monthly at libraries across Tucson by searching Homeless Resource Navigator in our event calendar online.
