San Francisco residents outraged over alcohol distribution program for homeless: 'That's some nonsense'

The provision of free alcohol to homeless individuals in San Francisco has caused controversy among some of the city's residents.

Sara Carter was rhetorically asked by a man on Planet Chronicle how she planned to give alcohol to an alcoholic.

"That's some bull!"

The "Managed Alcohol Program" (MAP) run by San Francisco's Department of Public Health provides structured alcohol doses to individuals with alcohol addiction who choose to participate, with the goal of keeping homeless people off the streets and reducing the burden on the city's emergency services.

While experts believe that the program could save or prolong lives, critics question whether the government should prioritize funding for treatment and sobriety programs over it.

A number of residents were outraged by the pilot program on "Hannity" Tuesday, and Carter shared her conversations with them.

Giving alcohol to alcoholics is a conflicting issue because it's a disease that involves an obsessive mindset that eventually leads to a physical allergy. Despite being a disease, alcoholics are unable to control their addiction.

"Enabling them could lead to their death or institutionalization."

The MAP program, founded during the COVID-19 pandemic to help homeless individuals in isolation avoid alcohol withdrawal, has grown from 10 beds to a 20-bed program with a $5 million annual budget and is now operating out of a former hotel in Tenderloin. (Source: San Francisco Chronicle)

One San Francisco resident stated that if the program is giving away free alcohol and it's classified as such, it's not a wise expenditure of funds.

The nurse manager of the Managed Alcohol Program and the San Francisco Sobering Center, Alice Moughamian, pointed out that there is a greater objective beyond recovery for alcoholics.

"In the October presentation, she stated that while some clients in our program have decreased their alcohol consumption or tapered towards abstinence, our goal at MAP is not to decrease the amount of alcohol consumed. Instead, our objective is to minimize the health, legal, and interpersonal harms caused by unsafe alcohol use."

Despite the program's benefits, some residents believe it is contributing to addiction and misusing taxpayer funds.

"One man stated, 'I believe they are enabling addiction by providing alcohol to those who clearly have a problem. Therefore, if you're providing a way for them to get drunk, it doesn't make sense to me.'"

"Another added that you don't need to wean them off gradually or use taxpayer funds under the auspices of a government program to wean them."

Planet Chronicle' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.