Katie Couric's Notebook: Homeless Tickets

In fact, since 2007, the Bloomberg administration has been providing tickets out of town for homeless families, paying for them to return to loved ones in other cities, states, and even countries.

It's called Project Reconnect.

The city pays upwards of $36,000 a year to shelter a family here in New York. In contrast, the tickets home average $218 per person.

Critics say that while it saves a few bucks, it passes a few more and gets rid of the problem rather than solving it.

A spokesperson for the city told CBS News Wednesday that before anyone is sent back home, they make sure there is a home to go tom and require a certified letter that proves someone is waiting on the other end.

A total of 564 families have participated - and none have returned to New York shelters.

For them, let's hope it's a chance to make a brand new start of it.

That's a page from my notebook.