The Quad Cities Open Network (QCon) presented a three-year pilot plan to Moline City Council on July 22 to place shared social workers in public libraries as a neutral access point for residents seeking help with housing, behavioral health and other social determinants of health. QCon requested city participation as the Illinois pilot site and estimated the program’s three-year cost at about $298,048.

QCon’s executive director, Cecilia Bailey, told the council the library-based social-worker model grew from local pilots and eviction-diversion efforts and aims to reduce fragmentation of referrals and shallow handoffs among local nonprofits. The approach pairs an information-referral system, a flexible pool of emergency assistance dollars, and colocated social work case management in library branches.

Bailey said QCon’s earlier pilot at Davenport Public Library showed one social worker served roughly 8,040 people over three years and that the model worked both for individuals who came directly to the library and for partner agencies that needed a “neutral starting point” for clients. The QCon plan calls for one shared social worker located at Moline Public Library as a starting point, with the future possibility of splitting time between Moline and East Moline depending on measured demand.

Council members asked about staffing schedules, telehealth and technical infrastructure. Bailey said QCon is exploring telehealth and a technology approach with local partners to allow the social worker to serve people regardless of whether they are on site. Councilors also asked why the city would not directly hire a social worker; city staff said oversight and program management by an experienced nonprofit backbone organization produced benefits and avoided creating a new city personnel line.

Bailey described the pilot as a “stop-gap” solution intended to reduce immediate downward pressure on housing and to improve coordinated referrals while new housing supply is pursued. She emphasized QCon’s role as a convening and referral hub and said the organization already holds related funds and referral platforms that would support the pilot.

Council members requested follow-up details about schedule, evaluation metrics and cost-sharing with other municipalities or agencies. No formal funding vote occurred on July 22; councilors said they expect more detailed budget and implementation documents before any appropriation.