In rural Central Texas, libraries are stepping up to offer mental health support

It’s just a regular Wednesday at the Smithville Public Library, and that means there’s a lot going on. Past the regular patrons in the main reading room, a back room is abuzz with activity: about a dozen women—some very young, some in their golden years—are huddled in chairs, carefully stretching their arms and legs.

Smithville resident Cheryl McNeil says it was a game changer when the library started offering these free “chair yoga” classes. Without them, he might have to drive to Boston to take a class like this.

“I just needed to move and pull. I didn’t do it all,” she said.

A second group of women sits behind the yogis, knitting hats for local veterans undergoing chemo. They call themselves “The Knotwits,” and they’ve been meeting for decades — but library director Judy Bergeron said she intentionally co-scheduled chair yoga classes with the knitting circle earlier this year.

“Some of them have come to join us in weaving, but others are a little shy,” she said. “But we noticed that when we do leg stretches with chair yoga and things like that, their legs move under the table.”

Smithville is one of eight Central Texas libraries to receive funding from the St. David’s Foundation as part of Libraries for Health, a pilot project aimed at improving mental health support in rural communities. Since 2021, it has allowed libraries to include programs like Smithville’s, such as yoga and grief groups, and provided funding for peer support specialists to provide one-on-one mental health support to library patrons.

Meeting people where they are

Abena Assante, senior program officer at the St. David’s Foundation, says the idea came after a community health needs assessment showed there was insufficient mental health support in the five Central Texas counties the organization covers.

“Looking at the behavioral health workforce, we know there is a shortage of mental health providers, not only here in urban communities, but also in rural areas. [communities]Ease said. “In rural areas [communities]This gap is compounded by transportation issues and many other obstacles.”

Asante said her team wanted to identify existing assets in rural communities that could serve as access points for mental health support. “Libraries came up again and again,” she said. Many communities already have libraries and rely on them – not just for books, but for all kinds of resources.

This is certainly true in Smithville, a small town located about 35 miles southeast of Austin. Bergeron says for some people, the library is the only place they have access to computers and the Internet.

“It’s not just for using the computer, but it’s because I have to fill out an important form for Social Security benefits, and I don’t know how to do it, and how can I get help?” Bergeron said.

Other people walking through the doors may be veterans unsure of how to access their benefits, people seeking help recovering from addiction or homeless people looking for a place to stay warm or cool.

But library staff aren’t always equipped with the time or training to help. This is where libraries for health come in; Beginning in 2021, the St. David’s Foundation has awarded grants to libraries in Smithville, Taylor, Elgin, Martindale, San Marcos, Buda, Del Valle and Jarrell, allowing them to fund resources they think will be most helpful, from yoga to books on mental health and community health fairs.

The foundation also provided funding for a peer support specialist – someone with life experience who can talk patrons through mental health challenges and help them find resources.

In Smithville, it’s British Khan Floors. She says having experience with addiction and mental health challenges helps her identify and build trust with library patrons.

“I can tell a story … or yeah, just share, ‘You know, when I was in this situation, this is what I did,'” Flores said. “I can’t say if it will work for you, but it’s a possibility. If you want to try it, we might be able to strategize how to reach you.”

The specialists were originally overseen by the nonprofit Via Hope, followed by the Austin Mental Health Association when Via Hope closed last year. Takesha Moore, an expert on Peer Support Model who oversees libraries for allied health professionals by the end of 2025, said these non-clinical support figures are uniquely positioned for change in rural communities. While access to clinicians can be important, Moore said trust must be built before people are willing to take that step.

“They feel comfortable when they’re just talking to a normal person — someone who they feel is not like a therapist or a psychiatrist who has the power and ability to write on a piece of paper and maybe change their life in some way,” she said. “I think it’s a very low-key way to meet people where they’re at, with a minimum of competition and pressure for support and help.”

A new library mentality

At the community library in Jarrell North, there are currently two peer support specialists who work with the various groups that make up a key part of Jarrell’s growing community.

“One works with young families and parents and parents of children with disabilities, and the other works with more senior citizens,” said library director Susan Grigorek.

This second specialist also works with veterans, American Sign Language speakers, and people dealing with grief, anxiety, and depression. Peer support specialists have dramatically expanded what a small library can do, Gregorik says.

Seeing the impact of libraries for health programs also broadened Gregor’s view of the library’s role in the community of Jeral, a small town that has experienced rapid growth in recent years. She began reaching out to other organizations and non-profits to form partnerships. Representatives from Foundation Communities sometimes come to assist patrons with enrollment in SNAP, Medicare and Medicaid. AGE of Central Texas is coming to teach programs about personal finance and identifying bank fraud.

She said: “We saw that we were becoming a hub for health, human, social services, business and educational services in the community, and that’s why we changed the name from Jarrell Community Library to ‘Jarrell Community Library and Resource Center.’

The Libraries for Health pilot program ends in 2025, but the St. David’s Foundation has extended additional funding to participating libraries, hoping to pave the way for them to find long-term, sustainable funding for their new programming. Most will need to find additional funding sources by the end of 2026, either from grants or as part of city and county budgets.

Meanwhile, the St. David’s Foundation is trying to spread the word about Libraries for Health beyond Central Texas. A public toolkit for the program posted online has already been downloaded more than 1,000 times, Asante said.