After almost twenty years of being a slave to alcohol, Bill was now ready to to make the effort to get sober. He called St. Christopher's Inn and was greeted by the agency's voicemail system. Bill left a message, but he had no phone for receiving a return call. He tried again later with the same result. On the following day, Bill did reach a live person, only to find out that there was a waiting list for the shelter. Two days of frustration were enough to turn Bill off of his interest in treatment - at least for the time being.

St. Christopher's change team conducted a walk-through exercise and realized that the admissions department did not immediately answer many calls, and that it took an average of two and one-half hours to return calls. After making several changes, each day approximately 16 more men who might have been on the street now have a place to sleep, three meals a day, a positive living environment, and access to addiction treatment, thanks to the forward-thinking decisions made by the staff at St. Christopher's.[READ MORE]