Residences for People With Chronic Substance Use Disorders

Programs that provide permanent accommodations for people who have a chronic problem with excessive use of alcohol and/or use of other drugs and no expectation of recovery. In most cases, there are no requirements for abstinence as a condition for housing. Included are "damp" housing for people who are able to live in a setting where abstinence is encouraged but substance use is permitted on the premises in moderation; and "wet" housing for people who are unwilling and/or unable to make a commitment to consumption limitations and are actively using drugs and/or alcohol addictively. In most cases, alcohol consumption is permitted at the residence, either in a person's room or in common areas, while drug use is not tolerated on-site but residents can use drugs away from the building. Both are contrasted to "dry" housing where residences are alcohol and drug-free. In most cases, residents in these facilities are formerly homeless and have undergone numerous failed attempts at treatment for alcohol and/or drug use. Without this harm reduction alternative, homeless people with chronic substance use issues sleep on the street and are at increased risk of exposure to adulterated or harmful substances, or depend on costly detoxification and scarce emergency shelter beds for housing.