Come Se Dice "Not It?" - This American Life

Adriana Cardona, editor of a Chicago-based bilingual newspaper approached a homeless man on the street. Her interaction with him led to a major investigative story that has been happening in Chicago for years under everyone's nose.

The homeless man told her his story. He's from Puerto Rico. His government paid for a one way ticket to Chicago so he could go to a rehab clinic for his drug use. When rehab didn't work, he was stranded, and had to live on the street. He's not alone.

After doing some investigating, Adriana discovered that the Puerto Rican government has been doing this for years. Homeless Puerto Ricans who encountered this are all over Chicago, and cities around the country. There's more to this story.

Reputable rehab clinics had no idea the clinics these people were sent to even existed. They are not listed anywhere, they're unmarked, and aren't run by a licensed organization. The state of Illinois was not aware this has happening.

Adriana tracked down a Puerto Rican health official. The official was surprised to learn these facilities were not licensed. Even though their government is aware of the problem, they aren't doing anything to fix it.

They believe any form of treatment is better than nothing.

The podcast also gave details on one of these homeless men, named Manuel. After leaving the rehab clinic Puerto Rico referred him to, he tried signing up for a real one, but the waiting list was too long. He is unable to get the HIV medication he needs, is still addicted to drugs, and now has to try to survive cold winters.