Early in July, Rafael Colon walked into a resource center in Kensington looking for help getting a new I.D. and left with an opportunity to leave Philadelphia.

“I bumped into somebody today that God brought him to me,” Colon said. “I was fortunate enough to meet him and send me on my way to Florida.”

Colon was born and raised in West Kensington. He says he struggles with substance use disorder and has been in and out of jail. He told us he was ready for all of that to change and the opportunity came when he met an outreach worker at the resource center who offered him a one-way ticket to Florida on a bus leaving that afternoon. 

“I’ve never been down there and I’m just going down there on a miracle, to be honest with you; on a wish,” he said.

Colon was able to board that bus through Stranded Travelers Assistance. It’s a program run by Philadelphia’s Office of Homeless Services. The city buys a one-way bus ticket to places all over the country for people, like Colon, who are unhoused in Philadelphia.

This type of program isn’t unique to Philadelphia, according to University of Pennsylvania researcher Dennis Culhane. But, according to him, most programs are run by nonprofits, not funded by the city.

“I think it’s unusual that the city, like Philadelphia, is standing up its own organization to do this,” Culhane said.

The NBC10 Investigators reviewed records for the program.  In total, Philly taxpayers have spent more than $270,000 since July of 2021. Since then, more than a thousand people have traveled across the state and country, funded by the City of Philadelphia. 

Bruce Johnson, the assistant deputy director for the Office of Homeless Services, who oversees the Stranded Traveler Assistance says the city measures the program’s success by the number of participants. 

“For me, it’s the most efficient program in ending homelessness,” said Bruce Johnson, the assistant deputy director for the Office of Homeless Services. 

Johnson told the NBC10 Investigators that last fiscal year about 164 participants took advantage of the program. Including family members of those participants, he said, the city helped between 200 too 300 people end their homelessness in Philadelphia last fiscal year.

 On any given night, the city has more than 5,000 people who are unhoused.

According to the city brochure, it was designed for nonresidents to find their way back to a community where they have more support. Johnson says that anyone in Philadelphia who is unhoused can participate, though.

“They come to us and say, ‘Hey, I’m ready to end my homelessness here in the city,’” said Johnson. 

Johnson says the city confirms the person has a place to go in the other location and runs the passenger’s name through the sex offender registry but that’s it. 

“We don’t necessarily check court records and backgrounds as far as us assisting participants,” Johnson said. 

There’s also no follow-up once they board the bus.

“It’s a success once we give them that ticket and they arrive at their new destination site,” he said.

But, because there isn’t any follow up, Johnson says the city can’t say for sure that the participants aren’t winding up unhoused in the new location they traveled to. 

“No program is a fail-safe program,” he said. 

As for Colon, the NBC10  Investigators learned he wound up back in Philadelphia weeks after boarding the bus to Florida. The city says it cannot comment on him due to privacy concerns. 

If that happens, Johnson says the city tries connecting them to other resources. The Stranded Traveler program isn’t something someone can utilize whenever they want. They can only ask for this type of assistance once every 12 months.

Early in July, Rafael Colon walked into a resource center in Kensington looking for help getting a new I.D. and left with an opportunity to leave Philadelphia.

“I bumped into somebody today that God brought him to me,” Colon said. “I was fortunate enough to meet him and send me on my way to Florida.”

Colon was born and raised in West Kensington. He says he struggles with substance use disorder and has been in and out of jail. He told us he was ready for all of that to change and the opportunity came when he met an outreach worker at the resource center who offered him a one-way ticket to Florida on a bus leaving that afternoon. 

“I’ve never been down there and I’m just going down there on a miracle, to be honest with you; on a wish,” he said.

Colon was able to board that bus through Stranded Travelers Assistance. It’s a program run by Philadelphia’s Office of Homeless Services. The city buys a one-way bus ticket to places all over the country for people, like Colon, who are unhoused in Philadelphia.

This type of program isn’t unique to Philadelphia, according to University of Pennsylvania researcher Dennis Culhane. But, according to him, most programs are run by nonprofits, not funded by the city.

“I think it’s unusual that the city, like Philadelphia, is standing up its own organization to do this,” Culhane said.

The NBC10 Investigators reviewed records for the program.  In total, Philly taxpayers have spent more than $270,000 since July of 2021. Since then, more than a thousand people have traveled across the state and country, funded by the City of Philadelphia. 

Bruce Johnson, the assistant deputy director for the Office of Homeless Services, who oversees the Stranded Traveler Assistance says the city measures the program’s success by the number of participants. 

“For me, it’s the most efficient program in ending homelessness,” said Bruce Johnson, the assistant deputy director for the Office of Homeless Services. 

Johnson told the NBC10 Investigators that last fiscal year about 164 participants took advantage of the program. Including family members of those participants, he said, the city helped between 200 too 300 people end their homelessness in Philadelphia last fiscal year.

 On any given night, the city has more than 5,000 people who are unhoused.

According to the city brochure, it was designed for nonresidents to find their way back to a community where they have more support. Johnson says that anyone in Philadelphia who is unhoused can participate, though.

“They come to us and say, ‘Hey, I’m ready to end my homelessness here in the city,’” said Johnson. 

Johnson says the city confirms the person has a place to go in the other location and runs the passenger’s name through the sex offender registry but that’s it. 

“We don’t necessarily check court records and backgrounds as far as us assisting participants,” Johnson said. 

There’s also no follow-up once they board the bus.

“It’s a success once we give them that ticket and they arrive at their new destination site,” he said.

But, because there isn’t any follow up, Johnson says the city can’t say for sure that the participants aren’t winding up unhoused in the new location they traveled to. 

“No program is a fail-safe program,” he said. 

As for Colon, the NBC10  Investigators learned he wound up back in Philadelphia weeks after boarding the bus to Florida. The city says it cannot comment on him due to privacy concerns. 

If that happens, Johnson says the city tries connecting them to other resources. The Stranded Traveler program isn’t something someone can utilize whenever they want. They can only ask for this type of assistance once every 12 months.