Alcoholism

Prior to 1996 alcoholism was considered a disability by social security. This resulted in many people living on the street getting a check each month. At that time the rules stated the check had to be mailed to a specific address where the recipient could get the money. It was a common practice for homeless people to list the address of the liquor store for check purposes. Once a month they would go to the store and the store owner would subtract what was owed on their liquor bill and give them the rest if there was anything left.