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By Rachel Hinton, Illinois Answers Project and Manny Ramos, Illinois Answers Project August 11, 2023

Some organizations say the city’s approach to counting people experiencing homelessness, which involves going out on one of the coldest nights of the year to count people, underestimates the size of the problem. The city doesn’t take into account people who live “doubled up,” which could include couch surfing with friends or family or other situations.

By any measure, the problem is only growing worse. The city has seen its homeless population nearly double between its 2022 “Point-in-Time” count and its 2023 snapshot of residents experiencing homelessness on a single night, jumping from 3,875 to 6,139. 

That’s the highest number of unhoused people logged in a city survey since 2015.  

By Sarah Schulte, August 10, 2023

In a written statement, the corporation said that for more than a year it has implemented a loop of classical music at certain locations nationwide, including Chicago.

They’re not the only company to do so. Opera is the genre of choice for 7-11 stores. A few in Chicago also play music to deter loitering.

The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless blasts the tactic.

“It is essentially treating them as less than human and treating them as a nuisance, whereas there are folks that are in need of housing and supports,” said Doug Schenkelberg, executive director.

By Acacia Hernandez, August 5, 2023

“We wanted them to feel humanized and dignified and that there wasn’t one broad stroke of stereotypes that were tagged to them, but rather I was there to affirm their lived experiences,” Fuentes said. “Their needs are diverse. We have individuals in that encampment who are veterans who have served this country who cannot afford to live in the city of Chicago. We have individuals who were evicted promptly after COVID.”                 

It’s not an issue isolated to Humboldt Park. According to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, more than 65,000 Chicagoans are currently unhoused.

Bruce Parry with the Illinois Union of the Homeless said it has been a growing issue ever since the pandemic hit.

By Sandra Torres, August 2, 2023

“Homeless Youth: An Invisible Crisis” features several eye-opening stories by NBC 5/Telemundo Chicago reporter Sandra Torres, who reveals many of today’s homeless youth are not necessarily living on the streets of Chicago or in shelters.

By Michael Liptrot, August 1, 2023

The City Council held a hearing Thursday to discuss a referendum on raising the city’s real estate transfer tax.

Reset checks in with WBEZ reporters on that story, why Chicago’s interim police superintendent is in hot water, the city budget and why street vendors are calling on Mayor Johnson for help.

By Christy Gutowski, June 11, 2023

Doug Schenkelberg, executive director of Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, sees a sad irony in Kromelis’ story.

“A lot of people felt like they knew him even though they didn’t,” he said. “That sense of knowing him, I’m sure, had a huge piece as to why people wanted to support him. And that’s at the same time that a lot of people who are experiencing homelessness are actively ignored. People work to walk past them without looking at them. They don’t want to see the issue because it makes them uncomfortable.”