Transit’s Response to People Who Are Homeless

APTA is delving deeper into the solutions for addressing the issue of homelessness at three upcoming sessions at APTA conferences in 2020:

• Mobility Conference
• Rail Conference
• TRANSform: APTA’s reimagined Annual Meeting

People who are struggling with homelessness often rely on public transit vehicles or facilities as shelters from the weather and to stay safe. Unfortunately, this is a growing challenge for many transit agencies and can discourage travelers from using public trains and buses. To preserve the quality of the transit environment, transit agencies across the country are exploring ways in which to respectfully support and manage the homeless population and minimize adverse impacts to the traveling public. Some agencies have developed important new partnerships with law enforcement, social service agencies, and others to approach this issue in a more decisive and positive way.​​

Resources

Presentations from 2019 Conferences:

• Lacy Bell (Sound Transit) Public Transit and Social Responsibility: Homelessness

• Alex Z. Wiggins LA County Metro’s Homeless Action Plan

• Natalie Harris (Coalition for the Homeless) Coordination in Serving Special Populations 

• Robert Powers (Bart) Quality of Life Initiative 

• Edward Addison (Deputy Chief of Police at DART) Addressing Homelessness in Transit

• Jeffrey Knueppel (SEPTA) Transit’s Response to People Who Are Homeless

Presentations from 2018 Conferences:

• Tim Chan (BART) Quality of Life Initiatives  

• 2018 Leadership APTA Team 4 Public Transit and Social Responsibility

• Wendy Hawthorne (Metro Vancouver Transit Police) Partnerships: The Key to Addressing the Challenges of Homelessness and Transit 

• David Green (St. Cloud Metro Bus) Agency Collaboration: Combining Efforts for a Safer Community

• Dan Boyle (Dan Boyle and Associates, Inc) Transit Agency Practices in Interacting With People Who Are Homeless – New Possibilities 

• Alex Wiggins (LA Metro) LA Metro’s Homeless Action Plan and Outreach Model

Presentations from 2017 Conferences:

• LA Metro’s Transit Homeless Action Plan

Reports all inclusive:

• 2018 Leadership APTA Team 4 Public Transportation and Social Responsibility 

• Dan Boyle (Dan Boyle and Associates, Inc) TCRP Synthesis 121-Transit Agency Practices in Interacting with People Who Are Homeless

Relevant News

• Transit Agencies are Changing Their Approach to Homelessness

• As waves of homeless descend onto trains, L.A. tries a new strategy: social workers on the subway

• Response team created for homeless on buses, light rail

• Phoenix spends $125k on homeless outreach on light rail

• Transit Chief urges subway managers to work with cops, social workers to curb homeless problem