Since transferring to WVU in fall 2017, Connecticut native Déja Fleury has found a home-away-from-home in Morgantown. Nearly three years later, the social work major is helping the local library feel more like home for its patrons. The senior teamed up with Milan Puskar Health Right, a free healthcare clinic for West Virginia residents who are low-income uninsured or underinsured, to offer social services at the downtown branch of the Morgantown Public Library.
Through this project, Fleury aspires to change the narrative around stigmas about the area’s homeless population. Fleury is conducting a needs assessment with library staff. That data will be used to inform trainings for the staff. Even though the library is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she is completing the assessment virtually.