S.L. hopes to cut woes of chronic alcoholics

Rather than continue to "bleed away tax dollars," Gill said the city needs to be fiscally smart on how it deals with those who are chronically drunk. If these 34 people are using most of the city's resources, then the city may actually save money in the long run by putting more resources into specifically helping that small group, Gill said.

"This issue is not going to go away," he said. "This segment of the population deserves a greater infusion of resources. This is not only a law enforcement issue but also a community and social service issue and fiscal issue."

Gill said a change is needed in the public policy on how to deal with these offenders — an idea that is supported by the Pathways pilot project and the new Sunrise Metro apartments. Each takes a "housing first" approach to dealing with the chronically homeless, rather than making housing contingent on getting into services and sobering up.

"You really do need a community response to it because we are connected to it financially whether we believe it or not," he said. "I think the biggest mistake is politicizing this discussion when it's a community issue. There is a balance here. This is not a politically left or right issue, this is a community issue."

---

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com