Justice
Why More Homeless Shelters Should Allow Alcohol
Wet shelters may be connected to more deaths than we'd like, but they offer a last-resort home to the chronically homeless
When John Kort died in an Anchorage homeless shelter on New Year’s Day, the news spread faster than one might’ve expected. Kort wasn’t the victim of a fascinating crime and – at least from what I can tell – he wasn’t famous. So why was the Associated Press story about his death headline-worthy for ABC, Fox News, Salon and others?
Kort’s death marked the first at a controversial new homeless shelter that opened last fall in Anchorage, Ala. It’s called Karluk Manor and it’s rare because it’s a "wet shelter" – meaning there is no policy against drinking on premises.