New York City Trying to Ship Out the Homeless

NEW YORK (AP) -- Paris? Orlando? San Juan? New York City is buying one-way plane tickets for homeless families to leave the city.

It's part of a Bloomberg administration program to keep the homeless out of the expensive shelter system, which costs $36,000 a year per family. More than 550 families have left the city since 2007. All it takes is for a relative to agree to take them in.

The city employs a travel agency to book one-way tickets for domestic travel and the Department of Homeless Services handles all international travel.

City officials say there are no limits on where a family can be sent and families can reject the offer and stay in city shelters.

So far, families have been sent to 24 states and 5 continents, mostly to Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

City officials say none of the relocated families have returned to city shelters.