Talks to open ‘managed alcohol’ homeless shelter

Discussions are underway to develop the first “managed alcohol” homeless shelter in Sydney in order to tackle alcohol addiction amongst those living on the streets.

Rabbi Mendel Kastel, of St Vincent’s Hospital – a New South Wales (NSW) police chaplain and founder of Bondi’s Jewish House crisis and homelessness service – is in talks with other partners about the proposed scheme, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.

“It would herald a major shift in our approach,” said Dr Nadine Ezard, director of drug and alcohol services at St Vincent’s Hospital.

According to the news site, the plan would see drinks offered to shelter residents on an hourly basis – similar to initiatives in Canada which have offered glasses of wine at low prices and limited to a maximum of 15 per day.

Supporters of the scheme refer to emerging studies from North America, which imply such shelters reduce the toll of drinking on individuals and the government for various reasons.

One explanation is there’s a reduced incentive to binge drink on deadline, shortly before hostels stop accepting people for the night.

Chronic homelessness

Another reason is that people consume less alcohol when they are less stressed, such as when they know they have a bed every night and feel like a member of a community.

“An often misunderstood component of public health is that dignity is priceless and more powerful than any drug,” commented Dr Kieran Le Plastrier, Jewish House’s clinical director.

The shelter would only be open to “chronically homeless” people with a long history of alcoholism, thus lessening the impact on public spending as their reliance on government services would be reduced.

Last year, Dr Ezard conducted a feasibility study and estimated the programme would reduce each resident’s use of hospital and emergency services by AU$30,000, or up to AU$500,000 per shelter.

“This is not to take away from those homeless people who can and want to get off alcohol,” said rabbi Kastel. “But it recognises that there is a specific population who will be better off with managed drinking and support.

“In one of the programmes in Canada, they even brewed the alcohol on-site, to cut costs and provide jobs. Who knows?”