Bucks County commissioners said space made available after the building’s existing law library moves to the county’s Justice Center would be used to help residents connect with needed resources.
Bucks County commissioners clarified at their meeting Wednesday that the former law library, now called The Hub in the county’s Administration Building, would be expanded for human services after its inventory of law books is moved to the county’s Justice Center.
Established in 2021, The Hub provides human services for residents, including veterans and those seeking social services for a broad range of issues.
Access to public services, which includes assistance with housing and benefits, are among the top requests received by The Hub, the Bucks County website said.
About a half dozen residents spoke during the meeting’s public comment period about rumors the space would be turned into a homeless shelter or drop-in for homeless people along with concerns printed law books would be lost.
County Commissioner Bob Harvie, the board’s president, explained that as the county administration building was the former justice center, it made sense for it to house a law library.
“It made sense [then] for a law library to be here prior to when the other building being built. When I came on in 2020 I thought this was the only law library we had … and I asked ‘why do we have two,’” Harvie said. “This building, which is a constant and is an office [for] human services, is the biggest thing we do. That’s why it’s here.”
County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia clarified the law books’ disposition and said the books would not be thrown away “unless a [law] librarian comes to us and says throw them away.”
The books will be moved to the Justice Center law library to make space for expanded human services offices and resources. No timeline for a books move was shared at the meeting.
“I went over and spoke with the president judge and he agreed that law library did not need to [at the administration building],” Ellis-Marseglia said. “We’ll find a place for the books. We needed a bigger space so that the veterans who come in there can privately talk to the counselor who is helping them rather than being in The Hub with other people.”
She added that because inquiries are diverse and range from special needs accommodations for youngsters to A Woman’s Place domestic violence information and veteran affairs and benefits offices, more space is needed to accommodate requests.
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“We needed more space. You can’t always mix the people who come in here…that is us delivering what we were supposed to deliver in 2018-2019 but we couldn’t,” Ellis-Marseglia said.
County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo spoke to rumors circulating online and phone calls he’s received from constituents about concerns The Hub would be converted to a homeless shelter or day time drop off space.
“People have brought to my attention some of the things being said on social media about this being a place for the homeless to come during the day and stay there all day and that is not what this is going to be,” DiGirolamo said.
He said the current space in the administration building is “not sufficient” and expanding The Hub “made sense.”
“I think this is the right thing to do. It’s not going to be a homeless center; I can guarantee that,” DiGirolamo said.
