Thursday, August 16, 2007

Recently concluded Chicago homeless census rigged

Last week I blogged about the incredible claim by the City of Chicago that just 24 homeless people lived in the city's downtown.

I voiced my skepticism, and it turns out I was right to doubt the report. It turns out that only a few downtown blocks were part of the survey

From CBS 2 Chicago:

A city census that turned up only 24 homeless people living on downtown streets was confined to a 12-block area, a top mayoral aide said Wednesday, acknowledging that the real number is far higher.

Acting Housing Commissioner Ellen Sahli said a separate count conducted between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. on a cold night in January -- in a much broader swath that includes all four community areas that take in parts of downtown -- turned up 995 homeless people.

Of that number, 352 people were living on the street and in public places. The remaining 643 people were staying in shelters.

The numbers in the last paragraph seem to be much closer to the truth.

Technorati tags:

No comments: