So, if you're 47, I take it that this guy is somewhere between the ages of 35 and 55. It's pretty hard to get SSI at that age. I take it he's applying on the basis of having a mental disability that prevents him from being "gainfully employed." (That's what he will have to establish. They don't give you SSI just because you're unemployed and homeless. You do realize that - don't you?) They will require that he has sought and complied with psychiatric treatment to make him as high functioning as possible. A history of drinking and drugging is considered being non-compliant with sound medical advice. He will be expected to prove compliance with taking recommended medication. Substance abusers often prefer their alcohol and street drugs over legally ordered psych meds. My point is that I don't see this guy getting approved for SSI in time to have an income before the cold weather sets in.

It used to be that a person could get SSDI or SSI based on chronic alcoholism. I had an uncle who got it on that basis. Those days are gone, thanks to an act passed by Congress quite a while ago. Check out the links below to verify that.

https://www.disabilityadvisor.com/so...urity-benefit/

Can You Get Disability Benefits for Chronic Alcoholism? | DisabilitySecrets

So it's looking to me like you are going to see him on the street when the Winter cold sets in. The competition for shelter beds goes up in cold weather, as the lines to get in lengthen. Also, some shelters (like those run by the Salvation Army, which are among the better shelters) breathalyze applicants for shelter on a nightly basis, often requiring that applicants show up by 6 p.m. and be sober. Furthermore, they don't tolerate belligerant behavior, which your friend has a tendency towards. Also, it's harder for a single guy to get shelter than for a man who is part of a family, or for a woman. Also, it's harder for an adult under the age of 60. My point is that your friend is probably going to find himself out under the stars some bitter, cold night come winter. Having a case manager doesn't solve everything.

Your state does have one of the best social safety nets in the nation. But it is a cold place in Winter and has a high demand for social services. Apartments are expensive in your neck of the woods. Even if he got SSI (which is about $850/mon. in MA,) he would probably need to get a housing subsidy to be able to afford rent. It can take years on a waiting list to get that. Section 8 Centralized Waiting List Massachusetts

My point is that, for these and a bunch more reasons, your friend will probably find himself in crisis, of one kind or another, within a few months. When he does, he will call his best friend in MA, which is you. You might want to start planning now how you will respond. Being friends with someone who has huge problems that he's had for a very long time and not a lot of resources for coping can become more demanding than you have the experience to anticipate.

What seems high in your priorities is a need to not feel responsible for having done anything to feel guilty about. You mighy want to losen your tight grip on that. It is not possible to make one's way through life without occasionally making imprudent judgements that adversely affect others. It's more important to be concerned with figuring out, "What do I decide to do, going forward, that I can feel is the stand-up thing to do?" Building on the info in the links I've shared, you might want to do some research into the problems typically encountered by someone with your friend's profile and the resources society in your area provides to address those problems. You might also want to check out Al-Anon, if only to pick up some of their literature, which I found greatly helped my thinking about what my role could, or should, be in caring about a homeless alcoholic.

https://www.shelterlistings.org/stat...achusetts.html

http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/dne...ity-state.html