Sorry for the delay on this week’s link roundup. This week was a little thin on stories because I’ve been working on some big upcoming projects, so check back soon. And here are your links, with one guaranteed to make you laugh.

Homeless shelter provides aid to mentally ill - Medill News Service
ChiChi Madu’s story is about Interfaith House, a West side shelter that cares specifically for people with mental or physical disabilities that have been referred to them by hospitals or health clinics. The story says one quarter of homeless people have a “severe mental illness.”

Crowds protest closing of Chicago mental health clinics – Chi-Town Daily News and Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune reports that Mayor Richard Daley plans to close up to five of the 12 mental health clinics in Chicago because of a lack of state funding. The Chi-Town Daily News has a story about 65 people protesting the closures in front of the Mayor’s office, saying the lack of funding is the city’s fault for not billing the state for reimbursement for the cost of running the clinics.
via The Daily Daley

Unemployment up while welfare aid is down – Progress Illinois
Progress Illinois features the Illinois angle for a New York Times story this week about a nation-wide trend of growing unemployment rolls being met with a drop in people receiving welfare. Progress Illinois breaks down the numbers for Illinois and looks into what exactly they mean.

Hastert Misses Point On Unemployment Insurance- Progress Illinois
Progress Illinois has a good story about why exactly Speaker Dennis Hastert is wrong about the benefits of unemployment insurance in the new stimulus bill.

Working at a homeless shelter - This American Life
For a fun link for your weekend, check out this week’s This American Life show from Chicago’s WBEZ public radio station. The show’s theme is about what happens when there is a new boss, and it opens with the hilarious story of when Dave Hill became the supervisor at a homeless shelter in New York.