“Wet Houses” Allow Chronically Alcoholic Homeless Men to Continue Drinking

Homeless alcoholic men openly drink at “wet houses,” where the goal is harm reduction instead of sobriety. The New York Times Magazine describes one such wet house, St. Anthony Residence, where the $18,000 bill for each resident is shared by the state of Minnesota and Catholic Charities. Each resident receives $89 per month, the majority of which goes toward purchase of alcohol.

Jim Gillham, the Service Coordinator at St. Anthony’s told the magazine that the residence helps men moderate their drinking. “Many drink much less than they did on the streets,” he said. Gillham adds that the program saves taxpayers money.

Researchers at the University of Washington found that a similar facility in Seattle did save taxpayers money compared with leaving homeless alcoholic people on the streets, where they use hospital emergency rooms and social and legal services.

St. Anthony’s harm reduction model is opposed by many treatment providers who support the 12-step abstinence model, the article says.