Yesterday I actually had to turn a couple of people away at the Empowerment Zone as it was full capacity in our Tech Center for a couple of hours. The majority of patrons were working on applications for the Boca Raton Housing Authority. The housing authority is holding a lottery for subsidized and public housing.
Lotto Article
I talked to a couple of gentlemen who were new faces and they informed me that they had read about the EZ in the Delray Forum, and they were glad that they could come to the local library instead of having to go all the way to the Workforce Alliance in Boynton Beach. And even though the majority of people using the Zone were filling out housing applications as part of a one time lotto, they still now know about our place and may refer others to it. I am thinking that yesterday could be a sure sign that the Empowerment Zone has taken off.
Mixed with the good news of strong numbers is the bad news that two of my volunteers have moved on. And is it ironic that we now have a real need for them? Fortunately our library gets a large number of people looking to volunteer and I will hopefully find some suitable replacements. I can't help but find this somewhat amusing since I have met many people who have suggested we get rid of library staff and replace them with volunteers to save money. The problem with this is obvious - you get what you pay for, and if you aren't paying people anything, what's their motivation? Not that there isn't plenty of wonderful library volunteers out there, I just don't see them running the libraries any time soon.
So, this Thursday I am looking forward to seeing how many folks show up for the EZ, and if my new volunteer works out. I will keep you all posted...
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