For many homeless persons, drinking or other drug use provides a means to get through the day. Homeless people with mental health problems may also use drugs or alcohol in place of prescription medication in order to cope with their afflictions. The Availability of Shelters and other Recovery Facilities Homeless persons initially considering substance abuse recovery have few options - there are only 35 emergency detox beds in the county. There are 862 beds in the county designated for persons who are recovering abusers. Another 108 beds are set aside for persons who are both severely mentally ill and substance abusers.
Homelessness is given no priority status at most detox and recovery facilities.
In addition to the above resources, many persons abusing drugs or alcohol use general homeless shelters. Many are intermittently able to meet the admission requirements and behavior codes of general shelters. The difference between the two groups, of course, is that the homeless shelter residents were not necessarily engaged in any efforts towards recovery. Another source of shelter and detoxification is jails. Although not necessarily a social or medical tool, time in jail sometimes leads to detox.