We investigated long-term, systemic shortcomings in the Illinois program. Here are some tips to help you do similar reporting in other parts of the country.
Environmental Health
![We monitored three hand-washing stations over the course of multiple days that were also missing soap.](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_list_thumbnail_large/public/title_images/ray_0.jpeg?itok=UMlGQfVy)
A city program that brought hundreds of hand-washing stations and portable toilets to the doorstep of dozens of encampments during the height of the pandemic comes to an abrupt end.
![Dana Ullman / The Mendocino Voice](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_list_thumbnail_large/public/title_images/Screen%20Shot%202021-07-20%20at%201.32.03%20PM_0.png?itok=Fp_cc8n6)
This story is part of a larger story led by Dana Ullman, a 2021 California Fellow who is reporting on disparities in the quality and access to health care for Latino and Indigenous peoples in Mendocino County. ...
![Dana Ullman / The Mendocino Voice](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_list_thumbnail_large/public/title_images/Screen%20Shot%202021-07-20%20at%201.32.03%20PM.png?itok=W9gQ_9TD)
The promotores already have the trust of their communities, filling gaps in public health information through translation, providing COVID-19 testing, referrals for vaccinations, and responding to the direct needs of their community with cultural understanding.
![Daniel Nass](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_list_thumbnail_large/public/title_images/Screen%20Shot%202021-07-27%20at%204.11.27%20PM.png?itok=tmcrySL4)
A review of thousands of records showed the state program struggles to reach survivors in need, and paid out claims in less than half of all cases.
![Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_list_thumbnail_large/public/title_images/Screen%20Shot%202021-07-27%20at%201.57.11%20PM.png?itok=N3hIO8TM)
The state's Crime Victim Compensation Program reimburses victims of violent crime for costs related to injury and loss.
![Lydia Fu for The Trace](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_list_thumbnail_large/public/title_images/tracw.jpeg?itok=IALCosM7)
Less than 40% of applicants are compensated, but many more never apply in the first place.
![The AB&I Foundry in East Oakland](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_list_thumbnail_large/public/title_images/oak.jpeg?itok=Ce-Fac87)
For years, East Oakland residents were told the air they breathe is safe. New data suggests that’s not actually the case.
![Olivia Obineme for The Trace](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_list_thumbnail_large/public/title_images/trace.jpeg?itok=wPjKRS2w)
Most stories about violence focus on neighborhoods with extremely high murder rates. Residents of Roseland experience shootings at a more typical pace.
![The Trace](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_list_thumbnail_large/public/title_images/chavis.jpeg?itok=2vyUphF9)
Thousands of people are shot in the Chicago area each year, sending waves of shock and grief throughout the city.