SAN DIEGO – The Serial Inebriate Program (SIP), developed by San Diego-based Mental Health Systems and the San Diego Police Department to address the issue of chronic homelessness, has gained national attention. The non-profit was recently tapped to help the cities of San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Jersey City, NJ and Billings, MT develop strategies to better manage the needs of the homeless population.
“Our clients go from sleeping the streets to sweeping up the streets,” said SIP Program Manager Deni McLagan. “The methods we employ to break the cycle of homelessness have been proven time and time again. We’re encouraged that other cities across the country are taking an interest in mirroring the Serial Inebriate Program and proactively addressing this important issue.”
The SIP program was developed in partnership with San Diego law enforcement, emergency medical services, hospitals and courts. Mental Health Systems believes SIP provides a cost-effective solution to the “revolving door” practices commonly used to deal with the often challenging and under-served population of chronic homeless alcoholics. Offering individuals deemed chronic inebriates treatment in lieu of custody, SIP provides intensive case management and access to services needed to achieve financial stability and long-term recovery.
“We are happy to partner with Mental Health Systems to address the problems in dealing with chronic alcoholism,” said San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman. “The long term solutions they provide have proven to be effective and have a positive impact on the community we so proudly serve.”
In diverting San Diego’s chronically homeless away from hospital emergency rooms and into qualified care, the SIP program has resulted in a 54% reduction in emergency medical services among the region’s homeless population and a savings of more than $70,000 per month in healthcare costs, according to San Diego State University’s Institute for Public Health.
In traveling to other cities across the county, Mental Health Systems and other advocates share experiences of success in dealing with this segment of the population. By acknowledging the challenges, community leaders move toward developing solutions that translate from community to community, city to city, state to state. The 25 Cities Initiative has also spurred national interest in solving the issues of chronic homelessness. Led by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the program focuses on 25 communities, including San Diego, and aims to solve the issue to Veteran homelessness.
“I’ve always told our clients, if you aren’t totally satisfied with our services, we will cheerfully refund your misery. Thankfully, we haven’t had to give too many refunds,” said McLagan. “We hope the interest among other cities continues, and we will, of course, work with them on tackling the issue of chronic homelessness.”
