Bunks for drunks

Politics: An experimental social-service project rewards chronic alcoholics with room and board, no strings—or help—attached | Mark Bergin

SEATTLE— Buddy Hall can hardly believe his good fortune. Nine months ago, the former fisherman from Alaska struggled to find food and shelter on the rainy streets of Seattle, his chronic alcohol addiction blocking any chance for employment. Now, the weathered 43-year-old dines on catered meals and sleeps in a brand-new apartment building conveniently located within walking distance of most major downtown attractions.

But this is no story of redemption. Hall remains among the region's most notorious drunks—in fact, his new housing depends on it. Seattle's Downtown Emergency Service Center spent $11.2 million of largely tax-generated revenue to construct "1811 Eastlake" and reward the area's 75 worst drunks with mostly free room and board. The rationale: Providing safe, clean living space for otherwise homeless inebriants might reduce visits to jails and emergency rooms and save public money. Whether the 70 men and five women currently living in the building stop or decrease their drinking is entirely optional.