In an eyebrow-raising policy, San Francisco has been spending approximately $5 million annually to provide alcohol to homeless alcoholics, under a plan described as a “managed alcohol program.” This initiative, reported by both the U.K.’s Daily Mail and the San Francisco Chronicle, aims to control and potentially reduce the dependency on alcohol among the city’s homeless population by administering regulated doses of alcoholic beverages.
The program, spearheaded by Alice Moughamian, a nurse manager, was highlighted in a recent video presentation that was widely shared on social media platform X. “What makes a managed alcohol program unique is that we actually provide measured and regulated doses of beverage alcohol, usually in the form of vodka or beer, to people with severe alcohol use disorder,” Moughamian explains in the video.
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Dr. Tanya Majumder, the lead physician for the program, emphasized its focus on respecting the “autonomy” of its participants, who are chronic, severe alcoholics. This program is hosted within the walls of a repurposed hotel, where nurses distribute vodka, beer, and other alcoholic drinks several times a day as per the individual needs of the participants.
The operational specifics of the program include the distribution of alcohol at designated times, up to four times daily, facilitated by program nurses. This was further elaborated on by Adam Nathan, chair of the Salvation Army’s advisory board in San Francisco, who observed kegs being used to provide free beer to participants.
