Pubdate: Mon, 02 Dec 2002
Source: Deseret News (UT)
Copyright: 2002 Deseret News Publishing Corp.
Contact:  http://www.desnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/124
Author: James Thalman

BUDGET LOSERS: 'BOOZER CRUISERS'

A new weakness is beginning to show in the front lines of the Salt Lake 
area's fight against substance abuse.

Police have noticed it, people are reporting it and treatment providers say 
it probably will get worse before it gets better.

Incidents of public intoxication are increasing, according to the state and 
county substance abuse divisions. Treatment providers don't know by how 
much yet, but they're pretty sure why: Volunteers of America Utah has 
stopped running its two rescue vans.

"I saw a gentleman the other day being taken into police custody who I'm 
sure would have been picked up by the van before police had to be called," 
said Pat Fleming, director of the Salt Lake County Division of Substance 
Abuse. "I'm seeing that more, and people are telling me they're seeing it 
more lately."

The "boozer cruisers," as they were affectionately known on the street, 
were an important initial treatment for people who are homeless because of 
their addictions.

The vans operated from about 4 p.m. to midnight seven days a week, 
searching for people who needed help and offering them shelter and a chance 
for treatment. Volunteer teams, along with paid staff, patrolled for people 
and families on the streets, under viaducts, near railroad tracks and on 
stream banks.

The vans are now idle to help offset budget cuts to substance abuse 
treatment programs by the Legislature.

"We're just not going to be able to afford to have them out there this 
year," said Jeff St. Romain, president and CEO of Volunteers of America 
Utah. "The searches aren't happening, and we're already seeing an impact."

The buses were the only ones like them in the state. If someone became 
unruly or was intoxicated, the vans could be called, often in place of 
police officers who will now have to pick up the slack.

"We liked to think, and we were often told, that we were a help to 
businesses," St. Romain said. "Many of the people who were in treatment had 
their first contact through one of those vans, so we think it helped those 
individuals as well as the larger community."

As effective as the vans were, they were just one part of the 
organization's mission. Those with drug-abuse problems picked up by the 
vans were brought to a detoxification center, a 60-bed residential facility 
that annually houses more than 4,000 people.

Center residents attend 12-step meetings and are referred to substance 
abuse treatment programs.

Volunteers of America also operates a 40-bed residential facility for 
homeless mothers. That center grew out of necessity, because of the 
dramatic recent increase in the number of addicted mothers and the fact 
that they usually resist treatment if they are separated from their 
children, St. Romain said.

Children who have been taken into state custody because of traces of drugs 
found in their blood have been returned to their mothers because the center 
provides housing and treatment.

"I hate that those vans aren't out there, but idling them was the best 
immediate alternative to the cutback," St. Romain said.

The loss of the vans is compounded by the fact that this time of year is 
always the high point for demand, Fleming said, noting that the division is 
combing through budgets again to see if funding can be found. But with 
another bleak revenue announcement and budgets likely again to be reduced, 
finding money doesn't look like a real possibility at the moment, he said.

"It's troubling because if someone's going to relapse, they're going to do 
it during the holidays right when it's the coldest out and the hardest time 
of the year to be homeless," Fleming said. "If the vans are there, most 
people would likely opt for a shelter and a hot meal they offer rather than 
having a run-in with police."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Alex