“We’re finding that the nonprofits, the governments, spending lots and lots of money are not as efficient,” Alle told ABC 7.

Despite an official state of emergency being declared in the area over its persistent homelessness problem and tens of millions of taxpayer dollars being spent on the issue, little to no progress has been made.

In fact, Alle said he believes it has only made things worse.

Taxpayer money has been funneled into half-done and ill-conceived housing projects that sit empty across Santa Monica. Money has also been spent on nongovernmental organization programs that hand out clean needles and crack pipes as part of progressive harm reduction policies instead of encouraging homeless drug users to quit.

Alle’s program offers plane tickets or bus rides to those who choose to participate. He said unhoused people in their 20s and 30s have been the most receptive to the idea.

“[We’re] going after young homeless that haven’t been here more than a year or so, who are entrenched with the drug scene … we’re approaching them, and at their request, offering them a trip home to their hometown,” Alle said.

A homeless man who goes by DeBlau recently admitted to the New York Post: “Man, I would love to get the f*** out of here.”

DeBlau is living at a park across from Santa Monica City Hall, which has turned into a “de facto homeless shelter” after local leaders and law enforcement stopped trying to remove or contain the violence, theft, and open-air drug use that goes on there. The 29-year-old told the outlet he came to California from New York with his mother when he was a child, but he has spent his entire adult life living on the streets.

As he spoke, a fight broke out across the park, with one person pulling a knife. It is a familiar sight for DeBlau, who said he has been stabbed, beaten, and robbed regularly.

Santa Monica is a resort town west of downtown Los Angeles. Its popular pier is home to Pacific Park, the amusement park that has been featured in many movies and television shows. Its city center houses several art galleries and expensive eateries, but the area where homeless people have set up, right across from City Hall, has turned into a danger zone.

Alle said business owners and the homeless have “seen enough and they’re as unhappy as we are.”

He maintains that his program does not involve forcing people off the streets, but gives people who want to leave a helping hand.

“We’re not shipping them off anywhere,” he said. “We’re giving them an opportunity for a fresh start, and if they can come back with skills and a desire to live peacefully, drug-free, and not steal from our stores, we’re all for it. We need people living here that are going to contribute to the economy, but right now, we’re suffering. Los Angeles and Santa Monica are suffering badly.”

In all, about half of the nation’s unsheltered homeless population calls California home.

Last year, a record 187,000 people were homeless in the state, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Of those, about two-thirds were living on the streets, in tents, cars, and parks. Santa Monica had 774 people experiencing homelessness in 2024. A large portion of the population lives unsheltered, with at least 62% sleeping outdoors.

Since taking office in 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), an early 2028 Democratic presidential contender, has tried to crack down on homelessness through statewide initiatives, but his efforts have yielded little result.

A 2024 California audit found that the state had spent $24 billion over a five-year period with hardly anything to show for it. Newsom has put most of the blame on local leaders.

TRUMP SETS 50-DAY DEADLINE FOR RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEAL, OR NEW TARIFFS WILL KICK IN

Earlier this year, he called on hundreds of California cities and municipalities to ban homeless encampments on sidewalks, bike paths, and other public property, increasing pressure on local governments to follow the state’s lead. His office released a model for a local ordinance that municipalities can adopt to make encampments illegal and clear existing ones.

Santa Monica, like Los Angeles, has resisted Newsom’s incentives for cities to ban camping on the streets, claiming it has things under control.