Want to Report on Homelessness? Here’s What Our Sources Taught Us About Engaging Responsibly.
Homelessness is at a record high, and there are many investigative stories to tell. We’ve compiled some of the tips and lessons we learned from our sources for other reporters pursuing this coverage.
“I Have Lost Everything”: The Toll of Cities’ Homeless Sweeps
Cities often take belongings — including important documents and irreplaceable mementos — when they conduct sweeps of homeless encampments. ProPublica gave notecards to people across the country so they could explain what they lost in their own words.
Cities Say They Store Property Taken From Homeless Encampments. People Rarely Get Their Things Back.
Storage programs are meant to protect people’s property rights and allow them to reclaim their possessions. But they rarely accomplish either objective, according to a ProPublica investigation of cities with the largest homeless populations.
Swept Away
From birth certificates to loved ones’ ashes, these are just some of the belongings cities take when they clear homeless encampments.
U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Will Allow More Aggressive Homeless Encampment Removals
The court upheld a ban on camping in Grants Pass, Oregon, empowering local governments to punish people for living outside. ProPublica found that some cities are discarding homeless people’s property despite policies to preserve their belongings.
How a Network of Nonprofits Enriches Fundraisers While Spending Almost Nothing on Its Stated Causes
ProPublica identified a group of connected political nonprofits — with names like American Breast Cancer Coalition and National Coalition for Disabled Veterans — that appear to be funneling more than 90% of donations to fundraisers.
Introducing ProPublica’s 527 Explorer
Nonprofits known as 527s can raise unlimited sums for political spending. ProPublica is releasing a new database that will allow journalists, researchers and others to more easily search these organizations’ finances.
527 Explorer
Every year, hundreds of millions of dollars flow through little-known political organizations commonly called 527s. Use our database to explore who funds these organizations and how they’re spending their money.
Have You Experienced Homelessness? Do You Work With People Who Have? Connect With Our Reporters.
We’re working with journalists in New York, Maine and Oregon on projects related to homelessness. We’re also interested in how cities have further criminalized sleeping outside. Learn more about our work and how to get in touch.
Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy
The city has violated a court order and its own policies by discarding the personal property of thousands of homeless people, who have lost medications, birth certificates, IDs, treasured family photos and the ashes of loved ones.
ProPublica Adds Ownership Information to Our Nursing Home Database
It can be hard to determine who is ultimately responsible for the quality of care in a nursing home. ProPublica’s Nursing Home Inspect tool now has detailed information on who owns a facility and who is responsible for running it.