San Francisco Program To Give Free Booze to the Homeless

San Francisco has a program in which it provided free booze to the homeless who say they are alcoholics and need it so as not to go into withdrawl. San Francisco has spent $20 Million in tax money in free booze given to the homeless who said they needed it.

So ... a good idea? Helpful for those who need it? Or is it just enabling and keeping the problem going instead of helping them detox? Money well spent? Or a waste of money that could have been spent on recovery programs instead ... or even a waste of money that tax payers could have kept for themselves and not spent on anything at all?

Free booze, paid for by tax payers, for the homeless. Good idea or not? What do you say?


San Francisco Program To Give Free Booze to the Homeless

A $5 million pilot program bringing free beer, wine and vodka shots to San Francisco's homeless alcoholics aims to relieve the city's emergency services, but one addict-turned-recovery advocate says the effort misses the mark and only delays recovery for those who need it.

"It's not a good idea, not when you consider the fact that, over the last four years, San Francisco spent $20 million to basically service a total of a couple of hundred people… by giving them free vodka and beer. For that amount of money, we could have funded 60 drug treatment beds instead," Tom Wolf, founder of the Pacific Alliance for Prevention and Recovery, told "Fox & Friends First."

"You really have to ask, where's the recovery in all of this? What is the desired outcome of this program? They say it'll save money, but we just spent $20 million bucks over the last four years. You have to really ask, ‘is it saving money, and is it making a difference?’"

The city's "Managed Alcohol Program" is operated by its Department of Public Health and focuses on administering limited quantities of alcohol to prevent serious side effects of withdrawal.

It's backed by some experts who say it can save lives. Others like Wolf, meanwhile, insist the taxpayer funds would be better suited for treatment and sobriety programs.

It seems incredible they'd spend that much money on a few hundred alcoholics giving them booze. I can understand the sentiment behind the reason, but also see why it is abused. I fell into drinking for a number of years and it was hard to break free from it. But you know what was really hard to break free from? I used to have a pornography addiction I got when I was a teen. It was harder to break that than stop drinking.

I believe that God's word, his holy spirit, or active force, and prayer can and does have a strong ability to help a person to overcome even the most strongly entrenched wrong desires/habits/addictions a person may find themselves struggling with for whatever reason:

"For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful by God for overturning strongly entrenched things. For we are overturning reasonings and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are bringing every thought into captivity to make it obedient to the Christ; and we are prepared to inflict punishment for every disobedience, as soon as your own obedience is complete."-2 Corinthians 10:4-6.

It is my opinion that many fall into booze and drug addiction to find the synthetic fake "peace" or "high" that can be found from receiving God's holy spirit, which is not only temporary when it resides within a person, but fills them with real peace of mind that surpasses human comprehension and gives true joy and peace. (See Galatians 5:22-23.)

I have felt the love and mercy of God in my life and his help to overcome these strongly entrenched things. And will use my own experience to help others the best I can, to both find peace and love and a reason to go on. It is amazing how many of these people need to know there is a reason, a greater power, a purpose behind it all. To feel that someone cares. And a person knows when you are being real. You can't fake that. And just as God was patient with dealing with me and my vices and addictions, and setbacks and lapses, I can appreciate and deal patiently and lovingly with those of others.

Jesus said that healthy people don't need a physician, and he came not to call righteous people but sinners:

"Hearing them, he said: “Healthy people do not need a physician, but those who are ill do. Go, then, and learn what this means: ‘I want mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came to call, not righteous people, but sinners.”-Matthew 9:12-13.

It's obvious isn't it?

They are setting up some scrumptious lawsuits and some "officials" will get their cuts of even more taxpayer funds. 🤣🤣🤣

Just think about what's going to happen.

Think this was created as a means for Nancy Pe’lush’i to not have to buy her own anymore. Nance, bottoms up.

a reply to: FlyersFan

What's the actual problem here? Drunks who don't own a vehicle or home getting cheap booze you don't drink so they can tolerate a life you ignore because it's not your problem? Maybe those doctors know something you don't about the patients they are treating and have a moral imperative to mitigate their suffering, versus writing Karen crap on social media because they're so morally superior and disdaining toward the underprivileged. Some of us have been in those cardboard boxes relying on the kindness of strangers to make it through the week.

Just saying.

a reply to: FlyersFan

Liberals are F’ing insane.

First of all….terrible F’ing idea.

Second….$20 million in 4 years for booze for only a couple hundred people?

$5 million/year divided by 200 people = $25,000/year in booze for each person?

I don’t buy cases of beer but what are they? Maybe $25/case?

A case of beer a day for a year is only $9125

originally posted by: TzarChasm
What's the actual problem here?

You didn't read the opening post very well.
I didn't say there was a problem.
I asked the question .... is it a good idea or not?
I gave no opinion either way.

originally posted by: TzarChasm
writing Karen crap on social media because they're so morally superior and disdaining toward the underprivileged.

If that is directed at me then ....

a reply to: FlyersFan
Give a man a bottle and he'll be drunk for a day, teach a man to distill and he'll be drunk for life.

Honestly, a half pint a day per person, given to 1000 people, at the price at costco for 1.75L vodka only comes up to around $2.5M and I just found a source where you can get food grade 190 proof (95% ABV) alcohol for $2,150 per 55 gal. drum. Doing the math that comes out to $1.14 a half pint at 80 proof which would come out to less than 0.5M a year.

My guess is someone is making a profit off of this.

originally posted by: daskakik
My guess is someone is making a profit off of this.

5 million a year does seem like an awful lot.
I don't know how much booze costs, we don't drink in this house.
So I could be wrong.
But it seems like a high amount.

a reply to: daskakik

My guess is someone is making a profit off of this.

I got 1 word for you……Democrats.

Everything they do with our tax money is a money laundering operation.

originally posted by: FlyersFan

originally posted by: daskakik
My guess is someone is making a profit off of this.

5 million a year does seem like an awful lot.
I don't know how much booze costs, we don't drink in this house.
So I could be wrong.
But it seems like a high amount.

I have a few beers usually only on Saturday nights.
I buy a 6 pack of beer, less that $15 depending on what craft beer I decide to get that night.

Now in my younger years going out to the bars, it wasn’t unusual to drop $100 a night.

originally posted by: RazorV66
Now in my younger years going out to the bars, it wasn’t unusual to drop $100 a night.

We don't drink in this house. Haven't since around 2008.
I had a kidney stone and for some reason now if I try to drink, my kidney hurts too much.
When I was younger I'd go out and have a few gin and tonics.
But that was long ago and probably spent less than $20 total a night.

Not Surprised ... Not Surprised at all

a reply to: RazorV66
I don't think that is how money laundering works.

It would have to be their money, which would mean your tax money is not being used, it is just made to seem like it is your tax money when in fact it is their dirty money.

I am also old enough to remember this thing called Iran-Contra which makes me think there is more than just one word.

a reply to: FlyersFan
Especially for less than 1000 people.

A half pint is about a third of a bottle and we are not talking about a bar or club where prices are higher. Buy straight from Archer Daniels Midland, which I'm guessing a city gov can do, and you bring the prices way down.

originally posted by: FlyersFan

originally posted by: daskakik
My guess is someone is making a profit off of this.

5 million a year does seem like an awful lot.
I don't know how much booze costs, we don't drink in this house.
So I could be wrong.
But it seems like a high amount.

With any public program like this the cost is almost certainly NOT the cost of the booze, it’s the cost of the staff and facilities to administer the program.

originally posted by: Boomer1947
With any public program like this the cost is almost certainly NOT the cost of the booze, it’s the cost of the staff and facilities to administer the program.

Yeah, the salaries would take up a bunch. I don't know if there is a facility to run this out of or if they have mobile vans set up to take the booze to the homeless. If it's mobile that would cost money too.

So yeah ... your reminder of the other costs does help explain why its' so expensive.

a reply to: FlyersFan

Canada and san Fran are unfortunately very similar.
We have the same program herein my northern Ontario city.
And well over 25 methadone clinics now around this city of 90k pop.

originally posted by: Boomer1947

originally posted by: FlyersFan

originally posted by: daskakik
My guess is someone is making a profit off of this.

5 million a year does seem like an awful lot.
I don't know how much booze costs, we don't drink in this house.
So I could be wrong.
But it seems like a high amount.

With any public program like this the cost is almost certainly NOT the cost of the booze, it’s the cost of the staff and facilities to administer the program.

Not to mention the liability insurance 😀

I wonder if they've hired a compliance officer and staff? 🤓

a reply to: FlyersFan
San Fran program giving 'free alcohol' to homeless people under fire: 'Doesn't feel right'
This article claims the cost is actually 2 million a year. That is a big difference from 5 million.