St. Paul, Minnesota (CNN) -- Nick Lott's clothes hang neatly inside his closet. His room is tidy and his bed is sharply made. He says it's "a blessing" that he even has his own room to keep clean. "This is all I've got, really," Nick says. "It's clean, comfortable, safe -- that's a big thing." His immaculate living quarters contradict his life, which was upended by his addiction to alcohol. And that's what brought him to St. Anthony Residence in the first place. On the cinder-block wall next to his TV stand, Nick keeps a tally of how many days it has been since his last drink. At this moment, four days are crossed off the calendar.
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Homeless alcoholics can drink on the premises of St. Anthony Residence in Minnesota
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Supporters say these so-called wet houses provide a safe place and save taxpayer money
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Those opposed, mostly addiction counselors, believe the model gives up on a treatable disease
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There are wet houses in Seattle and Minneapolis-St. Paul
There was a lot of opposition in @placeholder when the residence was first proposed in 1999.