Craig Farrell’s favourite spot in the City Library is a quiet corner near the comics. At night he sleeps on the footpath in Flinders Lane – “When I say sleep I mean lying down, it’s too cold to actually sleep” – and during the day he seeks refuge in the library.

Mr Farrell is not the only homeless person for whom the library is a sanctuary. “I see the same faces all the time,” he says.

Craig Farrell with City Library's Anne-Maree Pfabe. Credit:Chris Hopkins

Melbourne City Council has decided to hire a social worker for its libraries, in an Australian-first program to provide support services to the homeless.

More of Melbourne’s most vulnerable people are relying on libraries to access information, use free computers and wifi and “just find somewhere that is safe, warm and welcoming”, according to Lord Mayor Sally Capp.