APTA Launches New Resource for Homeless Outreach Programs

APTA has launched a new resource that provides information on how public transit agencies are adapting and reacting to the presence of homeless and other vulnerable populations on their systems. This resource page contains research, videos, and presentations from transit agencies from across the U.S.

Unsheltered homelessness, mental health challenges, and substance abuse are critical social concerns that impact the delivery of safe, effective, and equitable public transportation. Transit agencies engage in partnerships with local governments and nonprofits, and many agencies enlist the assistance of contracted or in-house mental health clinicians or crisis interventionists and non-law enforcement resources to develop approaches and solutions designed to support people who are unhoused in their communities.

The need for greater allocation of resources to homeless outreach and services has become increasingly clear. One of the first agencies to respond to this growing concern was RTD in Denver, CO. In 2016, the agency began a pilot program of a co-responder mental health clinician and police unit. Stemming from this initial program, RTD has developed a permanent, dedicated team which, for 2025, is budgeted for seven mental health clinicians and five Navigators.

Another successful example is the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) SCOPE program. Launched in 2022, SCOPE is a partnership with community organizations coordinated by a newly established outreach services department within the agency. SEPTA has seen a decrease in individual seeking shelter within its system by 49 percent in just two years.

Ken Divers, director of outreach programs at SEPTA, says that “Our job is to make homelessness on SEPTA rare, brief, and non-recurring, while creating an environment that is clean and safe for our employees and our customers.” As of October of this year, SCOPE has had 11,721 individual engagements and continues to be a highly effective and comprehensive program. SEPTA won APTA’s 2022 Innovation Award for its SCOPE program.

APTA’s new resource page was created with assistance from the National Transit and Vulnerable Populations Workgroup, an APTA ad-hoc subcommittee. To learn more or to engage with the workgroup, contact Brian Heanue at bheanue@apta.com.