L.A. Metro taking multifaceted approach to complex challenge of homelessness

Of the most vexing challenges facing Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro), none is as difficult as the issue of the number of homeless using the authority’s system as shelter.

The frustration among riders about the unhoused is palpable. Every day on social media, L.A. Metro riders give feedback that covers a wide range, including compassion to those who want L.A. Metro to kick the homeless off the system. In the most recent customer survey, rail riders listed homelessness as one of the top issues they want L.A. Metro to address.

L.A. Metro has been working for several years to address the issue of unhoused persons sheltering the system, including everything from outreach to security.

Homelessness is a societal problem across the United States. In recent years, major cities on the West Coast have been hit especially hard, in part due to the mild climate, court rulings and the dearth of affordable housing. Southern California is the most populous region in the western U.S. and is regarded as ground zero for homelessness. Counts of the number of homeless individuals — to the degree that they are accurate — indicate Los Angeles County alone has more than 69,000 homeless, a four percent increase from 2020.

L.A. Metro has tried to get a handle on the number of homeless on its system at any given time but getting a number the authority is confident in has been elusive, in part because the L.A. Metro system is not included in Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s annual point-in-time homeless count.

On top of soaring housing costs and inflation, the region also suffers from a keen lack of supportive housing. That makes it even more difficult for people on the street to transition to long-term housing.

Homelessness in the region is a vicious circle. Over the past few years, there are far too many people, especially late at night and early in the morning, using the MetroL.A. Metro system as a place to sleep, to shelter and to do other things people have the privilege of doing in the privacy of their own homes.

L.A. Metro’s system is designed to help people get around. Its stations and vehicles were not built to be used as shelters, nor are they safe for these uses. The bulk of its funding is used for staffing and operating the nation’s second-busiest transit system, with more than 2,200 buses, seven rail lines covering 100-plus miles and maintaining stations, bus yards, rail yards and other key facilities.

L.A. Metro welcomes the approved by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors that said the county will take a greater role in helping L.A. Metro deal with homelessness. That could mean the county taking over the outreach team efforts on its system. The county and L.A. Metro will also explore installing 24-hour “navigation hubs” on its system to supply social services.

 The L.A. Metro Board of Directors approved L.A. Metro’s first Homeless Outreach Plan in 2017 and that has since guided the company’s efforts. Some of L.A. Metro’s key homelessness programs include:

• Homeless outreach teams that roam L.A. Metro’s transit system seven days a week. L.A. Metro’s contract for this work is with PATH, a nonprofit established in 2017. PATH has teams deployed every weekday from 3 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekends. Over the past two fiscal years, the outreach teams helped 1,485 people attain interim housing and found permanent housing for 391 people. In that span, L.A. Metro helped almost 6,700 people.
• In May, L.A. Metro announced its partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) for LACDMH to test comprehensive crisis response services to individuals experiencing mental health crises while onboard L.A. Metro vehicles or at L.A. Metro stations.
• L.A. Metro budget funds three positions just to deal with homelessness issues, and these positions report to the CEO’s office.
• L.A. Metro's joint development policy was updated by the bBoard in 2021 to put a stronger emphasis on creating affordable housing. This is housing built by developers on L.A. Metro property (usually left over from construction of transit projects).