Sarasota Plans to Bus Homeless Out of Town

Homeless people living on the streets of Sarasota may soon find themselves on a one-way bus headed out of town.

City Commission members voted unanimously Tuesday to back a plan that would provide tickets back home for those living on the city’s streets.

The board’s vote put $1,000 in seed money into a “Homeward Bound fund” that will help cover the costs of one-way travel, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. The money will hopefully be added to by donations from the general public to cover the costs of the program that involves a partnership with the city, the Resurrection House and the Salvation Army.

The idea is to send homeless people back to family members who are willing and able to assist them in getting back on their feet, WWSB reported.

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“If you don’t secure families or a responsible party on the receiving end, chances are good that the people migrate back,” the station quoted City Manager Tom Barwin as saying. “We are going to be very careful and very selective and make sure there is good communication with folks on the other end.”

It is unclear at this time how many homeless people will be served with tickets or how people can specifically donate to the Homeward Bound fund. Both the Resurrection House and Salvation Army of Sarasota accept donations via their websites.

Similar programs have been tried elsewhere in the country with troublesome results. San Francisco, for example, sued Nevada last year for allegedly sending mental patients to California to avoid the costs associated with treating them, The Tampa Tribune reported.

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