This homeless shelter treats alcoholics with beer and wine. It's saving lives.

This homeless shelter treats alcoholics with beer and wine. It's saving lives.

This homeless shelter treats alcoholics with beer and wine. It's saving lives. Studies show that approximately a third of people experiencing homelessness — 38% — also have alcohol abuse disorders.  But at The Oaks, a homeless shelter owned by Shepherds of Good Hope in Ottawa, Ontario, quitting cold turkey isn’t always the way to bring that number down. “Generally speaking, people who live here have experienced chronic homelessness and have struggled with alcoholism most of their lives,” Adrienne Sesiakin, the senior manager at the shelter, said in a video for Invisible People, a nonprofit newsroom that reports stories about homelessness. “When they live here, they’re prescribed a pour.”  Though far from a night out at the pub, the Monitored Alcohol Program provides residents with up to 15 drinks a day. Photo by Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels It’s part of the Managed Alcohol Program, or MAP, at The Oaks. MAP is a harm-reduction program operated in partnership with Ottawa Inner City Health Inc., …