The homeless are getting an unusual helping hand from local, state and federal governments in Seattle - the kind of hand they should have begun extending to the disabled long ago.

The New York Times reports that Seattle had enough of spending thousands of dollars on men and women who are considered hopeless drunks. To get the homeless off the streets, Seattle's leaders decided to try a "live and let live" approach.

Instead of trying to sober up such individuals, Seattle decided to give them a place to drink that would not cause harm to the alcoholics or to the general public and would cost less than the usual routine of incarceration and treatment centers.

To achieve this goal, Seattle acquired funding to build an $11.2 million apartment where residents don't have to stay sober - just stay off the streets.

King County, which includes Seattle, identified 200 "chronic public inebriates" who have been street drunks for several years and have tried rehab at least six times. Of those, 70 men and five women were identified as having the highest bills for getting arrested, going through the courts, being put into treatment centers, acquiring housing and receiving counseling.

Many of the residents are American Indian, and about 20 percent are military veterans. Just about every resident has medical problems, and five of the original residents already have died.

Some advocates for the homeless want every city to have such accommodations. But I find infuriating the decision to provide homeless alcoholics with housing instead of people with disabilities - especially veterans with disabilities. To give alcoholics a permanent, federally subsidized place to drink is simply unfair to those who have played by the rules.

Nicknamed "Bunks for Drunks" by a Seattle radio talk show, the controversial program has been successful. Plans for similar housing have been approved for homeless people who are mentally impaired or for people with chronic medical conditions - including the disabled. The average cost for the new program is $13,000 for each person, compared to the $50,000 spent on the previous routine.

Providing similar housing to homeless people with disabilities would reduce Medicaid costs for emergency-room visits, provide a true count of homelessness in the disability community and return dignity to those who did nothing to lose it.

Veterans with disabilities especially deserve a home and the care given to the alcoholics in the Seattle program. They put their lives on the line for our country, a decision that demands the highest rewards and consideration - not just afterthoughts.

Seattle's innovative program does sound altruistic. But in reality is it simply a clever way to rid the streets of people who are a nuisance to the police and a burden for the courts and jails and who give a city a bad name?

I'm not saying homeless alcoholics should not be helped, but they don't deserve to be first in line.

McKee, a wheelchair user, is a freelance writer and producer. You can e-mail her at chairgrrl@chairgrrl.com.