San Francisco residents spoke out Tuesday on Fox News after being asked about a taxpayer program that is set on spending millions to give alcoholic homeless people free alcohol.
Fox contributor Sara Carter appeared on “Hannity” to discuss how city resident’s feel about the $5 million pilot program, “Managed Alcohol Program,” which is bringing free beer, wine and vodka shots to the homeless. Carter could be seen asking five local residents their thoughts about the Department of Public Health’s goals.
“Well let me just explain that it’s really conflicting to give alcohol to alcoholics because it’s a disease. It’s a condition that is basically an obsession of the mind that turns into an allergy of the body. And it’s a disease that they can’t help,” the first resident stated.
“So it’s basically you’re enabling them,” Carter joined in.
“You’re enabling,” the resident agreed. “And the possibility is for them to die, end up in an institution, or death.”
The second and third set of local residents seen with Carter called out the contradiction of the program, while the third and fourth residents’ seen with Carter questioned the government’s use of taxpayer’s money. (RELATED: Drug Dealers Take Over Blue City’s Main Library: REPORT)
“How you going to give somebody [whose] an alcoholic some alcohol? That’s bull!” the second resident stated.
“I feel like they’re being an enabler. They’re giving people alcohol who clearly have an addiction. So if you’re providing them with a means to get drunk — it makes no sense to me,” the third resident stated.
“You don’t need to wean them off gradually, or if you are, don’t use taxpayer funds under the auspices of a government program to wean them,” the fourth resident stated.
“If that’s what the program is and it’s giving away free alcohol, that’s not a good use of money,” the fifth resident stated.
While the program is seeking to relieve city’s emergency services by providing limited amounts of alcohol believed to avoid side effects of withdrawal, some like the founder of the Pacific Alliance for Prevention and Recovery, Tom Wolf, have questioned the program’s ability to help residents in need.
“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,” Wolf told “Fox & Friends First.”
In addition to the alcohol service, homeless are also provided life skills classes and cultural outings for patients, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Since the program, the Department of Health claimed some participants were discharged from the program due to “a higher level of care, other housing or a recovery program” with several patients reportedly dying after leaving allegedly due to their “end-stage alcoholism,” the outlet stated.