Philadelphia taxpayers have spent around $270,000 funding a scheme that buys one-way bus tickets for homeless people in an attempt to get them to leave the city.
The Stranded Traveler Assistance program has provided tickets for more than 1,000 people to travel across the country since 2021, according to records reviewed by NBC10, with city officials describing it as âthe most efficient program in ending homelessness.â
According to information from the cityâs Office of Homeless Services, the program provides travel assistance to ânon-residents who find themselves stranded, in crisis situations, in Philadelphia.â
âThe aid helps travelers return to communities where they have family or social support and will have a better opportunity to attain self-sufficiency,â the department states.
To get the assistance requires the personâs name, social security number, and the number of adults and children that are traveling. They must also have a place to go at the location they are traveling to.
However, city officials acknowledge that the program is not âfail safe,â as there are no court record or background checks, and no follow up once the individual has boarded the bus.
âThey come to us and say, âHey, I’m ready to end my homelessness here in the city,ââ Bruce Johnson, the assistant deputy director for the Office of Homeless Services, told NBC10.
âWe don’t necessarily check court records and backgrounds as far as us assisting participants,â Johnson told the outlet, adding: âIt’s a success once we give them that ticket and they arrive at their new destination site.â
As there is also no follow up on the other end, Johnson admitted that Philadelphia officials cannot be certain that the individuals do not end up homeless again in their new destination.
âNo program is a fail-safe program,â he said.
The program has reportedly cost taxpayers $270,000 since July 2021.
In addition, investigations by NCB10 found that half of those using the Stranded Traveler program between 2021 and May 2025 traveled under 750 miles away from Philadelphia â and some return.
The outlet reported that one man, Jose Colon, used the program back in July, only to return to the city several weeks later.
The Independent reached out to Philadelphiaâs Office of Homeless Services for comment on whether the service was used to move homeless people out of the city and clarification on the number that return.
A business owner in Santa Monica, California, has been testing his own similar program. John Alle, a real estate advisory business owner and co-founder of the Santa Monica Coalition, launched a no-questions-asked program last week offering free flights home to unhoused people in LA with ID and someone waiting at their destination.
