People in Chicago call 311 for lots of reasons, including when they need temporary housing, whether due to homelessness, a domestic violence situation or any number of other reasons. But today, the number of shelter request calls coming through Chicago’s 311 phone line is way, way up, and that’s resulted in more and more people falling through the cracks. 

“This year an average of one in seven calls resulted in a successful placement,” said WBEZ data reporter Amy Qin, who investigated the overburdened 311 call system with WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko. “As for the six other folks? It’s actually really unclear what happens to them because of issues with their records and data.” 

Amy and Anna explain their reporting, looking at what’s wrong, what’s needed and what’s next.