Is Billings Really Sending Homeless Anywhere They Want?

A couple of months ago this story was debunked but keeps resurfacing.

A video is popping up again all over social media sites, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok, where someone is questioning a guy who claims to be from Billings and that Billings "officials" bought him a bus ticket to anywhere he'd like to go.  He ended up in Portland, Oregon.

The person that was actually videotaping then goes on a rant about his opinion of how he felt it was "unethical and inhumane", even without verifying the truth of the story first.

According to The City of Billings Public Information Officer, Victoria Hill, the city of Billings does NOT have a program or funding in the budget to buy bus tickets for un-housed residents to relocate to another city.

According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness - The State of Montana has 987 individuals and 542 people in families counted among the homeless in the entire state of Montana.  Of the total homeless population of 1,529 - 64% do live in shelters and the other 35.6% reside with extended family, friends, or volunteers from their church or personal religious organization.

Get our free mobile app

What do you think? Social Media Troll? How should the City of Billings deal with our homeless population?  Which is less than the largest cities within the other 49 States?  Even when you factor in the "per capita" fact that Montana has a smaller population than most states in the United States.