Description

The Serial Inebriate Program (SIP) was created 16 years ago as a new and forward thinking pilot program for the City of San Diego. Its purpose has always been to help the population of homeless who are so often incapable of finding help for themselves—chronic homeless individuals who are serial inebriates. This report provides a snapshot of the progress SIP has made with the target population in conjunction with an analysis of its economic benefits. To accomplish these goals, political science students partnered with the City of San Diego and the Sage Project at San Diego State University to prepare an objective analysis of the program. Data was gathered from the San Diego Police Department, Mental Health Systems, and other agencies in order to present a snapshot of the effectiveness and efficiency of SIP. All comparisons were made between what SIP offers, in terms of treatments and costs, to the alternative of letting the target population continue without assistance. At the end of the project, we found evidence that SIP has been effective in reducing the number of homeless individuals who suffer from serial inebriation and also offers substantial cost savings to local governments.