Meet Mary Leasure, GLAC’s Social Services Liaison

Mary Leasure at Central Library

Walking through Glendale’s Central Library, you will see a small spectrum of our community. You will see the young faces of children heading upstairs for Story time holding their parents hand; you may see college students studying, deep into a computer screen or tablet; an adult reading a newspaper; the public using computers and you may also see faces of the unhoused population of our city, often called the homeless. Ambulating throughout the building is the gentle face of Mary Leasure, Glendale Library, Arts & Culture’s Social Services Liaison. Mary can usually be found standing outside the literacy office on the main floor, or making rounds throughout the library nodding a hello or softly checking in with the people she knows well. Mary has worked as a social worker for 25 years in various settings throughout Hollywood and Glendale. From working with at-risk teens to organizing Glendale Ascencia’s Winter Shelter, a program that ran from November through March offering beds guaranteed for that set period on a first come first serve basis, Mary has worked with homeless and at-risk populations on many different levels. Glendale Library Arts & Culture was fortunate to receive a grant in 2017 through the California State Library Mental Health Initiative to better serve library patrons affected by mental illness, many of whom are homeless. Originally designed as a 3-month contract position, it was quickly apparent to the library staff that Mary was the support they needed in navigating conversations and identifying needs of the public dealing with mental illness. Tiffany Barrios, Senior Program Supervisor overseeing Adult and Teen programs at the library saw a need for this grant after she and her staff had experienced interacting with patrons in a confused or agitated mental state, with little to no training in their library experience. “How do you help people and try to protect their privacy, but also create a space that is safe and welcoming for all?”, Barrios asked. She felt strongly about giving the staff the tools that they could use in their everyday interactions with people who were displaying mental health symptoms.  After completing a training program offered through the California State Library on Mental Health First Aid, Barrios knew that the staff at Glendale Libraries needed additional support.  

On any given day Mary’s work can be simple check-in’s with the patrons she sees in the library, many of whom she knows by name and knows some of their background situations. She thinks about her role very clearly, “what is your main concern?” is the question that she often comes back to when conversing with library patrons. She explains that the majority of what our unhoused population needs is shelter, which can be a lengthy process to secure. Mary is often their first point of contact and, if they are open to the conversation, she will walk them through the steps needed to procure both their needed forms of ID, which can include a California ID, Social Security Number, and Birth Certificate. For many who have been on the streets for some time, these documents do not exist and obtaining them can be a maze of forms and bureaucracy, all of which Mary can help them navigate with the ultimate goal of receiving a housing voucher. Along with acting as housing resource, Mary often gives out information on where to get free or low cost meals as well as how an unhoused person can receive their general funds card that gives them a small amount of funds each month for food. The biggest challenge Mary faces in her work is not being able to do more “I can’t want for them what they don’t want for themselves”, she says when facing each patron’s obstacles, “I just try to acknowledge them, and see them as human”. This is often something that she feels the homeless are denied and something as simple as a nod or making eye contact is all it takes. Mary and Tiffany also work closely with Ascencia, a nonprofit organization that provides a range of programs to assist people out of homelessness. Ascencia maintains a strategic partnership with the City of Glendale to provide outreach, services and residential programs. Upon Mary’s call, an Ascencia staff member will come out to the library, or anywhere the homeless patron feels comfortable meeting and sit down to talk with them to try to assess what resources they most need in the moment and connect them accordingly.  

Glendale Library Arts & Culture will be hosting the Body & Mind Wellness Fair at Central Library (222 East Harvard Street) on Friday, May 13 from 10a-2p. The fair will offer information from multiple vendors on how to access free or low-cost community mental health services and other support programs for everyone. Representatives from NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), Ascencia, California DMV, Glendale Police Department Homeless Outreach Team, Verdugo Job Center, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, Glendale Memorial Hospital and Glendale Unified School District will be on site to help with questions or concerns.  

In addition to NAMI’s “In Our Own Voice” talk about personal perspectives of mental health conditions, workshops in sound bath meditation, Qigong, and creating a calming jar will be offered.  

Along with all our partners at the fair, Mary and Tiffany will be there, familiar faces to many at Central Library, come to meet them both.  

For any social service needs, Mary Leasure can be reached in person at Central Library Monday – Thursday or at 818-937-7862 or mleasure@glendaleca.gov.