Yes, that is sanity! This is a harm reduction method...it assumes people truly have basic needs that must be met before other issues can be face. I've worked for such programs...they are far less coercive and therefore more effective than most other sorts of social services. I worked for harm reduction programs in San Francisco which were really quite good and I've seen that they work. In fact I worked in a housing program for formerly homeless folk that neither required people be clean and sober nor that they take psych meds regardless of diagnosis... The programs weren't perfect because the employees were still often trained in the ways of coercion (a system wide issue still) -- but they were far better than most programs out there.… [click on title for the rest of the post]