New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin told an audience that helping the city's growing homeless population is one of his top priorities. Then he offered what he later said was a ``tongue-in-cheek'' solution to the problem: One-way bus tickets out of town.

Nagin was responding yesterday to a question from an audience member during a panel discussion sponsored by the American Association for Public Opinion Research. The panel also included former White House hurricane recovery chief Donald Powell and Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu.

A woman in the audience asked the panelists to name groups worthy of donations to aid in the city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Nagin said homelessness was a top concern and named two groups -- the New Orleans Mission and UNITY of Greater New Orleans -- as worthy of her consideration.

The mayor said the city has an estimated 5,000 to 12,000 homeless people, many of whom came here looking for jobs after Katrina struck in August 2005.