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It's an unconventional way to help Seattle's inebriated homeless population get sober.
Seattle's Courthouse Park is nicknamed Muscatel Meadows for a reason -- you can smell the alcohol.
Not everyone who sleeps at the park, drinks at the park. But at least 500 of Seattle's homeless are alcoholics.
"I think you should have - everybody should have a place to go," says DeBraer.
"DeBraer" will only say he's been homeless for a long time. We met him at Courthouse Park hanging out, singing for anyone who will listen. He stays at a shelter by night and says he knows lots of homeless alcoholics -- he says most of them won't go to a shelter because you can't drink there.
"You have to have some type of structure," says DeBraer.
Which is what Bill Hobson, executive director of Downtown Emergency Service Center, a non-profit organization, wants to do with plans to open an apartment building where 75 homeless alcoholics can live and drink.
"Housed safely and supported with services to encourage them to reduce use and reduce more importantly harmful effects use presents to themselves and the community," says Bill Hobson.
The apartment is a two-story building at 1811 Eastlake Avenue. The surrounding businesses, including the Marriott Hotel, a prominent real estate developer, and two "Mom and Pop" businesses, want to stop the project.
"We're frustrated, we're just the little guy here," says Robb Anderson of Northwest Trophy. The businesses are worried about the same thing -- losing customers. "We're concerned about them going somewhere else."
He worries a house for inebriated homeless will turn into a party house.
"It's not going to become a party house," says Hobson. He says if the housing project opens late next year -- it will be closely monitored -- with three in-house alcohol treatment counselors, a mental health expert and a registered nurse.
"It has to go somewhere," says Hobson. He says it will save taxpayers money. One study found it costs about $97,000 a year to deal with one homeless alcoholic -- they tax the courts, police and medical services. The apartment house drops the cost to $9,000 a year.
The first 3 months of rent are free. After that, tenants would have to contribute 30 percent of their income. City, county, state and federal monies of nearly $9 million will fund the project.
Opponents have filed an appeal and will go before the city on Wednesday.