Santa Monica business owner offering plane tickets to reunite homeless people with families
Man offers homeless one-way tickets out of town
A Santa Monica businessowner says he's so fed up with the homeless crisis, that he's offering the homeless one-way plane tickets out of town, back to their hometown or their family.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A business owner in Santa Monica is offering to buy homeless people one-way flights out of Los Angeles to reunite with their loved ones.
"I'll leave this here with a phone number," John Alle told a man sleeping on the street Thursday. "It has a phone number you can call if you ever want to reunite with your family or hometown."
Alle believes the current system for the homeless across Los Angeles isn't working. He believes reunifying the homeless with their family or close friends could help turn their lives around.
The reunification program is no-questions-asked. Alle says all a homeless participant needs is an ID and someone willing to pick them up at the airport when they land.
"We just need to know where you're going, and that there will be someone there to help you when you get there," said Alle.
Despite billions of dollars spent on the homeless across Los Angeles County, Alle believes more and more people are living on the street.
"What we're seeing now is no accountability," said Alle. "There's no results. It's not result-oriented."
The flights are paid for by Alle and other donors associated with the Santa Monica Coalition.
So far in the first week of the program, they've received interest from two people living in Venice looking to fly home to Seattle.
"You might be better off there in getting help and services than here in Santa Monica or Los Angeles," Alle told a man Thursday.
According to Alle, anyone currently homeless across Los Angeles is eligible for the airfare. He believes those who have recently become homeless could benefit the most.
"If we can get to them before [they're homeless] two years, before they get hooked on drugs, before they get involved in the sex trade," said Alle. "Then, there's hope."
Alle thinks the flights would be cheaper and a more effective method than putting people into temporary housing.
If you or anyone you know is interested, call (213) 652-7463.