S.F. HOMELESS SET RECORD IN HEROIN-RELATED DEATHS

SAN FRANCISCO Heroin's popularity Is growing among San Francisco's homeless
- - and It's killing them.

Of 86.drug-related deaths among the homeless last year, 40 were connected
to heroin, according to a health department study released Tuesday.

"Cocaine Is a drug of celebration and heroin Is a drug of desperation,"
said Evelyn James, spokesman for the federal Drug Enforcement
Ad-ministration in San Francisco. "When people are on the street and they
want to feel out of it ... heroin will do that for them." Nearly 160
homeless people died in San Francisco between Dec. 1, 1997 and Nov. 30,
1998 -the highest number since the city started keeping track in 1987.

"Low vacancy rates, exorbitant rents and loss of public housing units have
exacerbated the homeless problem," the report said. "At the same time,
without permanent affordable housing, It is 'exceedingly difficult for
homeless people to ~ manage their health Issues, such as diabetes, mental
health or addiction."

Many say drug and alcohol addiction among street people has become an
epidemic.

"The majority of people you see on the street have a substance abuse
problem. That problem Iswhat caused them to be homeless," said Earl
Ry-nerson, a former member of San Francisco's Human Services Commission,
which decides how to allocate public money.

The health department agrees that heroin over-doses have exploded during
the past two years because very pure heroin at a relatively low cost is
readily available throughout the city. A single dose, about a quarter
grain, costs about $20.

"We're being inundated with heroin right now. It's making a big resurgence
and It doesn't have the stigma It used to." said police Lt. Mike
Puccl-nellI, who works in the department's narcotics unit. "You have all
these young (street) kids and they're all getting hooked on heroin."

And social services programs are not ade-quately addressing the problem,
police and Ry-nerson said.

"If we keep providing city services to people on the street, we're making
It easier for them to live on the street," Rynerson said. "The less we do
for them the more likely It Is that they'll go into a (treatment) program."

Rynerson, who left the commission earlier this year, suggested making $287
monthly assistance payments contingent on receiving treatment. "The first
and 15th are like pay days," Puccl-nelll said. "They get It and they don't
use the money for living expenses.. . the money goes into narcotics and
alcohol. We end up subsidizing their habit."

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski