ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The mayor of Alaska’s largest city has an idea for dealing with the most problematic drinkers in town: Send them to Washington state for addiction treatment.
Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan said Wednesday the city will have a $7 million surplus, and he wants to spend $200,000 of it on sending homeless alcoholics to the Seattle-based Schick Shadel program.
Anchorage television station KTUU reports the cost would be about $22,000 a person for nine people.
Janet Nadeau is the CEO of Akeela Inc., a nonprofit organization providing services for the treatment and prevention of alcohol and substance abuse in Anchorage and other Alaska communities. Nadeau says the money would be better spent locally.
Sullivan’s office says the Anchorage Assembly is set to vote April 28 on the surplus budget.
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