The center expects to spend about $11,000 per resident to operate the building each year, less than 10 percent of the money chronic drunks would cost if left on the streets.

Is this believable? A chronic drunk costs taxpayers more than $110,000/year if left on the street? No way. But this solution is fools gold anyway. When you get the 700 drunks off the street by giving them virtually free housing, in 2 years there will be several thousand new drunks on your streets looking for the same deal. There is virtually no end to the supply of people willing to take stuff for free.
z | 06.19.07 - 3:59 pm | #