Help The City Help The Homeless

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Jan 15, 2009 10:45PM

In case you hadn't noticed, it's coooold outside. While we're zipping up our North Face and lacing up our Timberlands to keep warm, don't forget that others are not so fortunate. The city's department of family services is trying to make sure they find warmth and shelter for Chicago's homeless. The city is encouraging everyone to dial 311 if they see someone in need of a place to stay, so they can direct them to one of the city's six warming centers during the day and to a bed at a shelter at night. City outreach workers will be making rounds to find people in need. Also be sure to check in on your elderly neighbors, especially those who live alone.

Oddly enough, despite the subzero temperatures and the rise in homelessness because of the economy, many of the city's 5,000 shelter beds are empty. And about the CTA's fight against "continuous riders," it looks like they're backpedaling on their statements that they weren't targeting the homeless.

Because of the extreme conditions, enforcement of the policy on buses and L trains is up to employee discretion, a CTA spokeswoman said.

While normally we'd be annoyed by the CTA's hypocrisy, we'll just be glad that a few more people will be warm tonight.

Photo by JOEM500.