Today is the first day of a three-day conference on homelessness in Chicago, convened by The Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness, a non-profit that works with the city. The conference comes nine years after then-Mayor Richard Daley announced a plan to end homelessness within 10 years, and prior to the city crafting a "Plan 2.0" this spring to address homelessness.

Daley's plan, of course, did not end homelessness in Chicago, though the amount of permanent supportive housing units has jumped 88 percent since 2003. However, the number of emergency shelters for the homeless dropped in the last nine years. Julie Dworkin, director of policy for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, told the Chicago News Cooperative that there are likely more homeless people now than in 2003. Dworkin blames the recession and lack of resources, not bad city policies.