In Chicago also resides the issues of homeless shelters and rehabilitation for chronic drug and alcohol abusers. Both are clearly very ineffective and provide very little real aid to those who need it. As stated in the previous post, Chicago is the third highest ranking city for drug overdose in the nation. There are very rehabilitation programs and most only last 28 days. This results in individuals returning to drug use as stated by a homeless interviewee in the documentary "Poverty in Chicago". Shelters were compared to the same quality as prisons. Often, violent outbreaks among its temporary inhabitants occur as well as low quality care. Some shelters even have specific criteria that cannot be met by all homeless people. This includes age, sex or the requirement of some sort of religious commitment.
Chicago does a poor job of taking care of those who are suffering in some form of poverty. Chicago politics keep those in poverty oppressed and encourages citizens to turn a blind eye to the poor. Society gives them labels that we may often throw around with unknowing prejudice such as "junkie", "alcoholic", "crazy". These terms are often used loosely without ever understanding how a homeless individual got to that point. Further understanding poverty is a necessity if we are to ever overcome it.
(Delvin as seen in "Chicago Poverty")
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