San Francisco has officially ended a controversial $5 million annual program that delivered alcohol to homeless alcoholics, Mayor Daniel Lurie announced Monday (January 26).
The Managed Alcohol Program (MAP), created by the San Francisco Department of Public Health in April 2020 during COVID-19 lockdowns, was initially designed to prevent withdrawal symptoms in alcoholics when bars and stores were closed. However, the program continued for six years, long after pandemic restrictions ended.
"For years, San Francisco was spending $5 million a year to provide alcohol to people who were struggling with homelessness and addiction — it doesn't make sense, and we're ending it," Lurie told The California Post.
The program served just 55 clients during its run, amounting to approximately $454,000 per person. Community Forward, the San Francisco nonprofit that operated the program under a city contract since 2023, confirmed that officials had terminated the contract.
KFI host John Kobylt called out the program, calling it a "criminal operation."