Transit Agency Practices in Interacting with People Who Are Homeless (2016)

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60 TRANSIT AGENCY PRACTICES IN INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS RESPONDENT INFORMATION 1. Date: 2. Contact Information Name of Respondent: ____________________________ Agency Name: _________________________________ Title of Respondent: _____________________________ Agency Address: _______________________________ Agency Size ___________________________________ Respondent e-mail address: _______________________ Respondent Telephone Number: ___________________ 3. System size Small (<250 peak buses) 60.7% 34 Medium (250–999 peak buses) 25.0% 14 Large (1,000+ peak buses) 14.3% 8 POLICIES AND PROCEDURES REGARDING PERSONS WHO ARE HOMELESS 4. Are homeless persons an issue for your transit agency? Yes, the homeless population is a major issue 30.9% 17 Yes, the homeless population is a minor issue 60.0% 33 No, the homeless population is not an issue 9.1% 5 5. Does your agency have policies or procedures for interacting with persons who are homeless? Yes, we have developed policies or procedures 28.6% 14 No, we do not have formal policies but we have developed informal policies and procedures 57.1 28 No 14.3% 7 6 Are these policies and procedures available on your website? Yes 31.3% 5 No 68.8% 11 APPENDIX C Summary of Survey Results

61 7. What is the best way to obtain these policies and procedures? Typically invited to request via email or phone. 8. Do the policies or procedures differ for different homeless populations? Yes, different for families 2.5% 1 Yes, different for veterans 5.0% 2 Yes, different for younger persons 5.0% 2 Yes, different for older persons 2.5% 1 Yes, different for persons appearing to have mental illness or substance abuse issues 15.0% 6 No 70.0% 28 Other (please specify): 17.5% 7 Other includes: (1) “Homeless” is a minor issue. What we do have are certain areas of our service district that have a large number of “transients” but they are not treated any differently from other customers. (2) Placements differ for families and some veterans. There are special requirements for minors found in the system, with or without their parents/ guardians. Individuals at risk to themselves or others may be involuntarily removed, but otherwise, removal from the system is voluntary unless in violation requiring police action. (3) Our efforts focus on the behaviors of the individuals versus their societal status. Nonetheless, the homeless pose unique challenges to us in the public transit environment. We try to work with their needs within public transit, but cannot always accommodate. (4) Everyone is treated the same. (5) We have no specific policy for homeless people however we do have procedures to assist them when they require help. Example: we have a program to provide free travel to extreme weather shelters. We have policy for emotionally disturbed persons who are often employed when dealing with homeless clients. (6) NA (7) a description (sic) 9. Do the policies or procedures differ by the way the homeless persons present themselves? No 56.1% 23 Yes, different for loud or disruptive persons 36.6% 15 Yes, different for others (please specify): 9.8% 4 Other includes: (1) Staff are empowered to utilize their best judgement regarding customers who are loud or disruptive. Usually the transit police are contacted. Training is provided. We have no way to actually keep count but it is very likely that we have hundreds of individuals who are/have been/may be at risk of being homeless riding our system every single day. Policies are meant to protect every customer. Customers are not questioned or singled out unless their behavior is negatively affecting other customers, presenting a safety hazard or appears to be in need medical assistance. (2) There is a distinction between a continuous rider committing fare evasion versus a customer causing a disturbance. (3) We have responses to suit people who simply require assistance traveling. If the person has mental health issues that need to be addressed then we adjust as necessary and we have written policy for emotionally disturbed people. (4) Procedures are standard for all passengers when there is a disruption on the bus regardless of the status of the passenger. We don’t scrutinize homeless individuals any more than any other passenger or treat them differently.

62 BARRIERS, OBSTACLES, AND CHALLENGES 10. Please characterize the following elements as major challenges, minor challenges, or not an issue in agency interactions with persons who are homeless. Major challenge Minor challenge Not an issue Extent of homelessness 27% 59% 14% Unclear policies and procedures 10% 39% 51% Support from city/county 13% 44% 44% Legal issues 6% 44% 50% Opposition from community activists 9% 20% 72% Ability to develop effective partnerships with social service or other agencies 4% 40% 56% Balancing customer concerns with humane actions 10% 63% 27% Funding to support programs 34% 34% 32% Lack of emphasis within transit agency 6% 26% 68% Training of agency personnel 9% 46% 46% Comments include: (1) Homeless persons are more of a concern for local jurisdictions, social service organizations, and churches that we work with. But the community also takes an active role in supporting programs that assist with our homeless population. (2) Inadequate alternatives. (3) We provide free fare cards to the County’s main homelessness service organization and have for upwards of 15 years. While they keep account of the fare cards distributed, they also give them to St. Vincent De Paul Society to distribute, and these are not accounted for. We are considering another approach to low-income fare subsidies that may mean a program that is no longer free but at a discount and that serves a broader range of individuals in need. (4) Security threats posed by homeless encampments within the Rail Road Right of Way. Negative behavioral issues associated with a subset of homeless who have challenges with mental illness, substance abuse/chemical dependence, antisocial or criminal tendencies. (5) Funding continues to be an issue. (6) The police department is working with our city partners on the homeless issue. Our Hearing Officer holds hearings at the City Homeless court, so we can streamline the process to clear citations for the homeless. (7) It is difficult to determine if someone is homeless. (8) We have two “Client Services” Sgt. positions. These are two senior Sgts. Their purpose is to connect with the numerous agencies and resources to assist mentally ill and vulnerable. 11. Please describe the nature of the one major challenge. Responses summarized in Table 22, chapter three of report. Verbatim responses are provided here. Major challenge in the person’s personal hygiene. The way in which they are perceived. One of the major challenges is that sometimes the individual can be disruptive by panhandling or disturbing other customers but this is not all homeless nor is it specific homeless. Paying fares. The transit agency discontinued the availability of purchasing tokens in 2011. The agency distributed several thousand free trip cards to homeless shelters and County/City human service agencies. The idea was to have every person who had previously used “tokens” to have use of a card. Agency staff organized training for the different organizations on how they could load fare onto each customer’s card, Reduced Fare Applications were disseminated and processed so many customers with disabilities could be issued a Reduced Fare card. Agencies could then load fare money onto the card, etc. The move to eliminate tokens was in partial response to the number of customers who were “out of tokens” and thus not able to pay their fare. The card allows the customer to board and even exit with a negative balance, thus making it easier on all customers who find themselves short of cash at one time or another. Prevents or at least diminishes those instances of confrontation between agency staff and those customers not able to pay. Full Fare Cards and Reduced Fare Cards look identical. We experienced a higher than anticipated number of Reduced Fare Cards that were “lost” and thus replaced often by individuals who are in the homeless populations. Fare cards were empty, disagreements between customers and agency staff regarding the “faulty” cards and upsurge of unpaid fares. Sharing or inappropriate use of customer’s cards. Agency staff does not want to become confrontational with any customer but often encountered the same individuals with the same not-able-to-pay issues daily. Intoxicated homeless create an unsafe environment by either falling on property or urinating in public.

63 We are limited in what we can do for the long-term homeless problems. The primary challenge for our agency in relation to interactions with persons who are homeless is inclement weather. When temperatures are at Code Blue levels and when there is snow and sleet, we experience a significant number of homeless individuals congregating inside our primary transit center. This higher than normal volume of homeless individuals is not a major issue. However, it can present minor issues for riders, since the seating in our primary transit center is maintained by a private fast food restaurant. Also, in inclement weather, homeless individuals will often stay on the bus beyond a single ride. However, the agency has an informal policy to allow riders, whether homeless or not, to stay on the bus round trip when it is significantly cold outside. Example: If a bus passes a bus stop Westbound and there is someone at the stop who wants to catch the bus Eastbound, rather than wait 20 minutes for the bus to have reached the end of the line and return back, the rider can board and stay on the bus until after the bus reaches the end of the line and loops back going Eastbound. The agency does enforce fare policies, thus riders with All-Day passes can ride the bus all day. They would simply need to swipe the pass for each trip. Drug use at our main transit facility restrooms (needles). Generally, the most common issue that we deal with are homeless people sleeping in bus shelters. Riders riding buses for a place to hang out rather than for transportation. Convincing people to accept services. There are never enough low-demand beds for the number of homeless in our system and many homeless won’t go to the “traditional” shelter with many cots set up in a large room, or with curfews and lots of rules. The homeless are protected from weather and they feel safe in our system. In addition, well-meaning individuals and groups provide money, food, blankets, etc., to homeless…thereby enabling them so there is less incentive for them to accept services. The combination of too few “quality” beds and too much help from the public makes it more difficult to entice homeless individuals to go to more appropriate housing options. The lack of public restrooms. They relieve themselves at bus stops and on the grounds of nearby businesses and even on buses. Some stops have to be (or should be) cleaned daily for this reason and some business owners have felt aggrieved for long periods of time. Hostile, aggressive, loud, and disruptive segment of homeless population who use the public transit system creates fear and apprehension in other riders and transit staff. The lack of training to identify and respond appropriately in dealing with difficult and challenged individuals. We run a public service that does not question the customer’s purpose of travel. If they can pay the fare they can ride. While on the vehicle and property, they must follow the same code of conduct that applies to all other customers. Agency staff is compassionate and want to help, so we have information printed and available on board the vehicles about how someone can obtain social services and connect to housing options. Unfortunately, many of the homeless have been turned away from shelters due to lack of space available, or due to rules unique to the shelter. It is difficult to convince someone they should try the system again if they feel it has failed them in the past. Engaging the cities in their responsibility to service the homeless. Homeless are often pushed into the transit stations to be hidden from the city and converted into a transit police issue. Homeless individuals who sleep at our bus stops and especially in our bus shelters. Don’t know who to contact for assistance. Operators tend to want to bypass homeless passengers based on a few problems. Tend to generalize the issue. Our largest transfer facility is also a large building with public toilet access. It is just a few blocks away from a recently closed (by the city) informal homeless encampment. When the site was closed, many migrated to the transfer station and have tried to set up semi-permanent camps in the area. The city is actively reaching out to the homeless and trying to connect them to other services. We have to protect our property for our tenants and customers. Finding an alternative for the homeless is challenging at best. Our county human services does not fund a low-income bus pass the way the city does. Concerns have been expressed that these passes should be both a city- and county-coordinated effort. The county does provide bus passes to individuals accessing human services for accessing jobs and other services. Outreach to various organizations and agencies whereby all understand the different transportation programs available to their clients. Inability to engage mentally disturbed and/or intoxicated individuals, particularly those who pose a physical threat.

64 Time-consuming, costly, and often requires police involvement Body odor and hygiene issues while riding the buses (public transit). They tend to want to ride the buses all day based on weather issues. Bringing pets on the bus as a “service animal.” Primary service is providing transit. Front-line employees not equipped to deal with sensitivities. 75% of homeless have addiction /mental illness. 80%–85% decline offers of help. Can’t deny entry unless pose a health issue or taking up too much room. Winter months more pervasive. Mental health issues Resources of social service response teams to conduct in-field intakes and engage potential homeless population on public transit. It is important to have a responsive and proactive engaging team capable of assessing substance abuse, mental health, and veteran populations. In addition our Native American community is in need of engagement. Repetitive citations for failing to pay fare. The City has a Free Fare Zone (FFZ) for light rail and bus in the central business district and the rail line runs in front of the largest homeless shelter. Needless to say, in the FFZ, riders complain of having the homeless riding. But, as noted, being homeless is not a crime; transit police officers understand and treat them fairly, even if they violate some of the agency’s ordinances. Having employees understand/develop some compassion for the homeless. The general reaction is to treat all homeless the same, whether the person has some place to go or not. We have a downtown circulator with a free fare, and in the winter cold there have been instances of homeless passengers boarding the bus, sleeping, drinking alcohol, etc., and not getting off the bus. The significant geographic area we must serve. We cover the entire greater metropolitan region, including 17 different municipalities. It is a challenge to become aware of and connect with all the resources available in each community. We rely on a close relationship with key members in each police force, specifically in the area of mental health, which includes many homeless clients. We also sit on several boards and committees dealing specifically with homelessness in the various cities we serve. Loitering and sleeping in the transfer stations. Funding to support programs for homeless individuals is a major factor in our community. There is a strong recognition of the need and most agencies are doing a great job with what they have. However, the need far exceeds the resources and the result is an overflow of individuals lacking the support they need to make a lasting impact on their homeless condition. People riding around and the hygiene issues. Homeless individuals use transit facilities for bathing, washing, and sleeping on a frequent basis. Bus stops have also become used by homeless for sleeping/living; while we do not own the bus stop, this affects the passengers wishing to use the stop to access our service, and cities often request that we address the issue even though they own the actual stop. Disruption of other customers on the bus and at the transit center. The major issue is who pays for the rides of clients of the social service agencies, which includes the homeless. In the past, the transit agency gave away 100,000 free day passes per year to 140 social service agencies, costing the agency up to $350,000 in annual lost revenue. The agency notified all nonprofits a year in advance that the program would not be continued beyond 9/30/15. The debate in the community is how to continue to fund these “free” passes. We currently do not experience any major challenges when dealing with homeless persons. Issues are largely limited to homeless persons bringing an excessive number of carry-on items/bags onto the bus and also with personal hygiene and cleanliness. Homeless folks will camp out in a corner of the convention center which is immediately adjacent to our busiest downtown stop. The excuse offered when they are asked to move is that they are waiting for the bus. The bus comes and goes and they are still there. This is a major turnoff to convention goers and visitors to our city. Camping out on transit property.

65 Convincing the homeless person to leave a bus shelter due to cold weather is a huge challenge. Other than having a local group such as the Homeless Action Committee convince the person to go to a homeless shelter or a boarding house to get food and stay warm, or having the police arrest the homeless person, it is extremely hard to get them out of the bus shelter. Often the homeless person will briefly leave and come back. Many of the homeless have mental health issues and without medication they may be loud and destructive and often take over a shelter or part of a shelter with shopping carts full of their things as well as garbage. We have had a couple situations where the homeless person believes the bus shelter is theirs to live in. During cold weather the homeless tend to ride our free downtown shuttle without getting off. This can result in an environment on the bus that puts off our regular riders, like tourists and downtown workers who are the primary markets for the free shuttle. Also, our downtown transit center has become the de facto shelter for homeless on cold days once they are asked to depart from the city’s shelter. They are asked to leave the city’s shelter very early, like 5:30 a.m. or 6:00 a.m. Not sure of the exact time. They migrate to our downtown transit center, which has an indoor area, to remain warm. They tend to hang out in the mornings at the center, and then disperse in the afternoon. 12. Please describe strategies or tactics used to overcome any major challenges with respect to agency interactions with persons who are homeless. Responses summarized in Table 23, chapter three of report. Verbatim responses are provided here. When a person who is homeless becomes a challenge for the driver, then law enforcement/Transit Police are called the location for assistance. Training. Acknowledging that everyone has a story. Our system is involved with volunteerism with various organizations such as City Rescue Mission, City Standdown (event for homeless veterans), Urban Ministries, and the State Food Bank. We have found that this has had a positive impact on the homeless community. Tokens have been reinstated. Tokens can be used to pay for the fare on the bus or they can be added to the fare card. If the customer has a Reduced Fare Card, the token can actually pay for two fares. The Reduced Fare Card is now printed on the Customer ID card. Having the customer’s name, photo, ID number, and expiration date is believed to have instilled a sense of ownership to all individuals. Agency staff can request to see any fare card that the customer is requesting assistance with and can collect any card that appears to not belong to the holder. The agency can suspend any card with suspicious activity or that has been reported as stolen or lost. This will hopefully reduce the instances of customers who are attempting to not pay their fare. A Code of Conduct is in place and City Police have been hired to patrol the bus transfer depot and enforce the Code of Conduct, and/or arrest individuals who have committed a crime and/or cannot take care of themselves. For cases where injury may have occurred, medical assistance is called and they are transported to the local hospital. Also, for weather-related assistance, City Police will transport the homeless to a designated shelter. We do our best to enforce the rules, transport emergency medical, mentally ill, and inebriated persons, but our policies are more effective in the short-term. The agency’s Planning Department staff remain actively engaged with local nonprofits, government agencies, and homeless activists in seeking to provide humane access to services and ensure dissemination of service information to those in need. Stepped up security personnel at the transit stations. They monitor the amount of time that someone is in a restroom. We have noticed that the presence of security personnel around the restrooms has reduced drug use. Our contracted security staff has contact information for a variety of community resources and has contacted these resources if the need arises. We introduced a fare in a previously fare-free area and basically eliminated the problem of transients, often intoxicated and disruptive, just riding around. By partnering with the city’s Department of Homeless Services we have greatly increased our outreach services, case management, and access to beds. Not yet...but restrooms are the first logical response. The question then is who pays for them and maintains them. Information on the use of uniformed security officers and contracted law enforcement personnel is posted and they patrol major Transit Centers and transfer points to deter loitering, panhandling, vending, petty theft, public drinking, illicit drug use, prostitution, and other “Quality of Life” issues/crimes. Removal of camps on the rail right-of-way by

66 maintenance of way crews. Information sharing with local governments, including local Law Enforcement, regarding challenges with homeless. Implementing CIT training, philosophy, policies & procedures, CIT Coordinator, and a support system. In the past, the agency has teamed up with university students and social workers at the county to leverage their professional expertise in assessing needs and helping to connect customers to services. We know it is important to have someone establish a trusting relationship with the customer before they can become open to the offer of assistance. You don’t really have the time to spend doing this if you are driving the bus, or if you are responding to a field call. Our printed information flyer can be provided to someone who seems to be in need, but that might not be enough if the person has had issues with service providers in the past. In 2011, we began the Community Intervention Project in which we employed a full-time Licensed Social Worker to provide referral and linkages to the homeless, as well as serve as an advocate on a city and state level. This program has been successful but we need to continue to have open communication and support from the government (city and county level). There is little funding to support projects, and the homeless numbers continue to rise. Work with County Community Service Agency Attempted outreach Communication provides alternatives, consistent enforcement of station and bus conduct rules, and collaboration with police and social service providers. Ongoing discussions Outreach We have a problem with them congregating at the transit center, which disturbs other passengers. It would be helpful to find alternative means to communicate with them other than engaging the police. Partnering with new homeless coalition. Coordination with the City Police Department and the County Sheriff. Hired a security company to manage the transit centers. Modifying restroom facilities. We are service providers and we are required to allow them to ride. Strong training of operators and public safety staff with respect to the questions that can be legally asked of someone with a “service animal.” Involvement of social service agencies and police department when needed. All customers need to re-tap at EOL. Enforcement at terminal platforms. Sisyphean task overall, especially in wintertime. Working with social service providers, both contracted and non-contracted, is vital. Integration and continual work with the city court system and prosecutors with a mandated navigator model to personally interact with some of the more challenging groups and populations is necessary. Individuals identified as chronically homeless must be navigated consistently in the program with a desire to change the behavior, seek treatment, hold clients to their probation terms, and hopefully work toward success and returning to the public transit community. Training for all officers on dealing with the mentally ill is mandatory. We have invited rail and bus supervisors to attend these yearly trainings. We have several human services agencies that purchase one-ride passes that they give out to people needing rides. This has helped reduce some panhandling and made it easier for homeless to board and ride buses without hassle. Increased police and supervisor presence on the bus, and developing a policy limiting ride to one round trip. Also developing passenger code of conduct to be posted on all buses. The two senior Sgts. have the experience and the latitude to do whatever is necessary to get to the bottom of issues when they arise. We invest a great deal of time into building meaningful, effective relationships with policing partners and with the numerous agencies in each community. At this point we are fortunate to face little resistance, and our relationships are productive. Active security patrols reminding persons not to sleep; then excluding for the day; then excluding for longer periods. Work with police to obtain any detox or medical services for any persons in need when contact made.

67 The major concern is the safety of our passengers from those who, through their behavior, seem to pose a threat to others’ well-being. In these circumstances we work closely with our security personnel and the local police to address the issue. For others, if possible, staff will try to connect homeless individuals with local resources when appropriate. Street supervisors to take people off the bus after one round trip. We work with legal, homeless shelters, police, and our security department. Using our county sheriffs, who are under contract with us to provide transit police services, we work closely with the county and individual cities to address issues as they are identified through customer complaints. Worked with legal counsel to prepare wording for signs regarding loitering and policy to be able to temporarily and permanently ban riding on buses or being on agency property, though the issues are not solely caused by homeless individuals. Our interactions with individuals who are homeless are no more challenging than those with the community at large. N/A We have a cooperative program with the Coalition for the Homeless. We previously were being asked by a variety of nonprofit agencies for free tickets for their clients. We entered a “buy one get one free” agreement with the Coalition whereby they would coordinate with the agencies and we would coordinate with them. This provided mobility for agency clients so they could access services, jobs, etc. Over time we have been able to ask the Coalition to utilize their staff to help us by dealing with issues at various bus stops, etc. This approach has been more thorough and permanent than simply calling the police. Police are still called in immediate emergency situations, but the Coalition can help pick up the pieces afterward. This arrangement has enabled us to put various entities in touch with one another; for example, the Coalition and the Convention Center were not working with each other until we brokered a meeting. Treat homeless just as we treat any other customer. 13. Please characterize the following elements as major challenges, minor challenges, or not an issue in terms of customer reactions to persons who are homeless. Major challenge Minor challenge Not an issue Discomfort in the presence of homeless persons 30% 66% 5% Fear 25% 66% 9% Experience of aggressive/disruptive behavior 27% 61% 11% Personal hygiene issues 55% 44% 0% Cleanliness of transit facilities/vehicles/seats 43% 48% 9% Effect on willingness of customers to use transit 21% 58% 21% Comments include: (1) People who are homeless who routinely use our system are not unlike other customers. People have routines. Customers who are homeless still have appointments like medical, job services, food bank schedule, different soup kitchens…so they usually fall right into a regular routine. Not at all uncommon to see the same faces regardless of homelessness or not on the same routes during roughly the same times of the day. As long as customers who are homeless do not exhibit behaviors that are offensive or disruptive, everyone seems to coexist. Urination on trains, in elevators and on platforms is an issue at certain stations. Customers are not approached but rather the areas are cleaned immediately. Similar to any other customer who becomes sick on a train. (2) No specific knowledge in this area. (3) Note this at specific locations. (4) Assaults against operators; service interruptions associated with removal of loud, aggressive, or disruptive individuals; aggressive panhandling; public drunkenness/intoxication. (5) The responses above are based on types of complaints that we hear when we meet with customers and community. With 7,600 homeless in the county, residents/customers are not shocked to see someone homeless on our property and generally try to be very tolerant, unless they are doing something that seems threatening or unsanitary. (6) Aggressive panhandling and urinating in public are major concerns. Also, the majority of seats in our major transit hubs are taken up by homeless (as a result of homeless system failures). (7) All are major issues we deal with on a regular basis. (8) Not sure how we know what our customers think . . . we have not heard complaints. (9) A recent survey indicated that the presence of homeless people or panhandlers is more of an issue at night than during the daytime hours. (10) On select routes these are issues.

68 14. Please describe the one major challenge in customer reactions to persons who are homeless. Responses summarized in Table 25, chapter three of report. Verbatim responses are provided here. Fear toward persons who are homeless because they can be disruptive and aggressive at times. The issue is usually with visitors coming into the city and not feeling comfortable with riding alongside an individual who is homeless. Usually you will see empty seats surrounding a person who is homeless. This is true on the bus and the trains. In really cold weather people can easily be identified as homeless with their piles of belongings bundled around them. Most of our customers who are homeless are peaceful and ride to seek warmth or because they are enroute to a destination. Many of them are known to our bus operators and station managers. Often on first name basis. Greetings exchanged. This hopefully models positive behavior for customers. Often visitors or even regular travelers will witness or hear about a homeless person who urinated or defecated on the train, an elevator or public space. One bad act by a member of a population can unfortunately color the entire population for some. Personal hygiene, especially for intoxicated individuals. Nothing specific. We have received very few complaints about homeless people using our fixed-route service. Aggressive/disruptive behavior is a major challenge but we address this issue effectively with contracted transit security officers who use security staff vehicles to respond to calls from bus operators when disruptions occur. People get disgusted with the hygiene problem. The public does not understand that we can’t just eject people because they are homeless or because they don’t smell good. We cannot force people to accept shelter, but our customers don’t realize that our hands are tied until we can convince someone that things will be better for them if they come in. Fear in some distinct locations where security is challenging. Customers complain about the presence of homeless on the conveyance and at transit centers. They feel threatened and fearful of aberrant behaviors. Customers feeling uncomfortable around homeless population (behavior, appearance, smells). Most complaints are about sleepers taking up too many seats with their packages/belongings and spreading out. The majority of customer complaints are in regard to the smell and cleanliness. Customers have had issues being able to use benches and covered shelters at our bus stops and shelters that have regular homeless residents. Hygiene. Passengers tend to object to odors that while not really bad are stronger than what they would like to have in their space. Homeless still try to secure what few possessions they may have. Usually in shopping carts or in crates with handles. This can be a deterrent for the homeless to use transit and an inconvenience to other customers. Compassion. Unwillingness to use the transit system on certain routes/locations. They are fearful of them. The homeless initiate fights with other customers on the bus. In recent focus group interviews we heard loud and clear that many parents are uneasy allowing youth to ride the bus because of the fear of people who are homeless and have drug and alcohol issues or mental health issues. Very tough. Lots of complaints re: odor on rail cars, number of homeless. There are challenges with customer perceptions that all persons who appear homeless are homeless, where this may not be the case but rather a substance abuse or mental health issue exists that is not being properly addressed. I field customer complaints regarding the homeless. Often a rider will see a homeless person sleeping and automatically assume they are intoxicated. This usually is not the case. Often the complaint of the hygiene or lack thereof of the homeless person.

69 Passengers do not want to wait at bus stops with a homeless person who has hygiene issues. Other than some apprehension during the later hours of transit service our population is reasonably tolerant of homeless people. We have complaints when their behavior is disruptive or when they carry large amounts of belongings or their belongings are dirty. Fear. Cleanliness of transit facilities/vehicles/seats does have an effect on people’s willingness to use transit. At times it is more of a perception, but it still impacts their decision. Our maintenance staff is diligent in keeping our facilities and vehicles clean, but the perception still lingers. Acceptance and communication as many homeless have mental illness concerns. Customer reactions are usually negative. Fear/repulsion. Transit in our city is perceived as a social service agency more than a transportation agency. Until we dispel that image, we will be challenged to market our services effectively. Again, there are no “major” challenges. If there were any one issue to single out it would be personal hygiene and cleanliness. When someone gets loud and argumentative on the bus, because of the enclosed space the level of discomfort soars. Hygiene is an issue. We often get calls that a homeless person smells bad and/or is taking up a large portion of a bus shelter. There have also been many calls regarding drinking alcohol, selling drugs, and urinating in a bus shelter. Some regular transit riders have an issue with the lack of cleanliness of some homeless. I would not say this is a major issue. Most people are reasonable and accept the presence of the homeless to the limited degree that the homeless are on the system. If the presence of homeless on the system was more pronounced, it might be perceived as a greater problem. As it is, it is a minor problem. 15 Please describe strategies or tactics used to overcome any major challenges with regard to customer reactions to per- sons who are homeless. Responses summarized in Table 26, chapter three of report. Verbatim responses are provided here. Continue a police presence during operating hours to assure the traveling public that their safety and well-being are not taken for granted. Nothing specific. Our security staff is pretty visible and responds quickly to address issues. We also have a complaint process that allows customers to document their concerns and provides the agency with an opportunity to communicate directly with the customer. Asked for law enforcement assistance at our stations to ask the homeless to move on and to not make our facilities their homes. Contacting Transit Police/Local Law Enforcement to the location to assist the driver. Periodic public education campaigns to discourage giving directly to the homeless, and to educate the public that the agency has an aggressive outreach program that offers services to all homeless in the system. We are trying to rebuild the worst location, but do not yet have sufficient capital dollars. We have a project ready to go. At the same time, activists link any investment in transit facilities to being forced to accept affordable or high-density housing and have been fighting the improvement tooth and nail. Provide immediate responses to their concerns and complaints and advise them that the agency is reaching out to try to address the overall problem, not just on Public Transit. There has been a lot of media coverage of homeless issues in the county, so customers have better understanding of the situation that these individuals are facing. They have compassion for the lack of options in terms of available beds and services. They know the agency is trying to help connect needy customers to services. The agency created a mobile

70 app to report safety concerns while on our system. You can take pictures and send anonymous reports and based on the situation the appropriate staff are dispatched to handle the situation. We also created a campaign to reinforce positive behavior on board, reminding folks to report vandalism, keep their voices/music turned down, etc. As discussed previously we have employed a Social Worker, who regularly engages the homeless. Keeping the stations clean when homeless are encamping is difficult and because our transit hubs are public buildings the Police Department has little recourse in moving homeless individuals. We have worked with County Community Service Department and local police to get individuals to move from locations, especially during regular service hours. Supervisors/security interacting with homeless at station. We respect all our customers. 41% of our ridership makes less than $25,000 annually so the presence of homeless is not perceived as such an issue as it might be in a more affluent system. Once a year we partner with social service and private non-profit agencies to deliver homeless to a centralized location for services. This is a great partnership. On these days our ridership nearly doubles because we remove another barrier, the fare. The low-income bus pass has been a helpful way to encourage customers, homeless or not, to access these passes to help them get transportation. Our transit agency also has a good working relationship with a local non-profit that serves the homeless. Driver education. Working with social services. Increased security at transit centers. Contract with Tampa Police Department for police presence at major transit center. Operators are taught to de-escalate situations when dealing with the homeless and to contact radio control when issues arise that require security. Strong presence of public safety at the main transit centers. Work with a social service agency, try to be proactive in terms of specific individuals but can take over a year to find even short-term housing. Navigation and rapid assessment teams must integrate policies where they work to proactively seek out this population using public transit. We intend to work more with our homeless and mental health and substance abuse providers to allow for more active engagement. We have worked jointly with the city police department on Coffee with a Cop program, which is an outreach to the homeless. We will continue to explore this and similar programs that help the interaction between law enforcement and the homeless. Increased security, and supervisory staff ride the bus. Our client services unit and general patrol teams work to identify problems or vulnerable transit users and make a concerted effort to assist them. In this endeavor we often employ the assistance of the civilian staff that operate the trains and buses as well. For example, when someone is identified as homeless and possibly at risk, we will use all available staff to help locate them, call police and connect them to resources who can assist them. Active presence of transit security; monitoring cameras, and quick responses to calls for service. Constant cleaning of our vehicles and facilities. If the opportunity presents itself, we also remind people that all people need access to transportation. Training of operators to communicate effectively with all customers. Support staff (e.g., street supervisors, dispatchers) to offer assistance. If the problem is onboard a vehicle, the coach operator tries to resolve the issue but will request assistance from transit police services to help resolve the issue if needed. We are actively pursuing dialogue with the community to dispel our image as a social service agency. Forcing the nonprofit community to buy their passes is helping in the community to create the impression that we are managing our system in a businesslike fashion and creates the opportunity for more residents and visitors to try our service.

71 Don’t have any. In some extreme instances, persons can be removed from the bus or not allowed to board the bus. The justification is the health and well-being of others using the bus service. It is important to note that such a strategy applies to all passengers. We are enhancing our conflict resolution skills. The driver will call radio who will send a road supervisor/security officer or immediately call the police. If this is a reoccurring situation or severe enough initially, we will have a security officer ride or follow in a car on subsequent days. If a customer complains to us regarding a homeless person we will get the details from the customer and investigate the issue. If the homeless person is at the location of the customer’s complaint we will speak with the homeless person and ask them to leave the bus shelter and offer them the resources of the Homeless Action Committee. If the homeless person is doing anything illegal we will call the local police. Sometimes it more difficult for our customers to have the same sympathy and compassion that we do toward the homeless. We train our operators and supervisors to diffuse the situation and minimize the embarrassment. We hope through our community involvement that people will be more understanding. Various staff members belong to and actively participate on boards, coalitions, committees that aim to improve services with this population. The agency really strives to provide good customer service to everyone. Urination and defecation are issues. More frequent in certain stations. Public restrooms are made available at the discretion of the station manager on duty. ASSESSMENT 16. How would your agency rate its efforts to interact with people who are homeless? Very successful 2.1% 1 Somewhat successful 53.2% 25 Neutral 40.4% 19 Somewhat unsuccessful 4.3% 2 Very unsuccessful 0.0% 0 17. Please describe the reasons why you chose this rating. Responses summarized in Table 28, chapter four of report. Verbatim responses are provided here. For Somewhat Successful or Very Successful Ratings: Because for reasons unknown people do not want to deal with the homeless. I think we make an effort to get to know them and help their situation. I think as an organization we understand that there are number of reasons why people are homeless and that most are not homeless by choice. Our agency for the most part has chosen to serve members of our homeless population in similar fashion to everyone else. Acceptance, but also we do expect the same responsibility as all other customers. Everyone must pay their fare (reduced fare, with a token, with a pass card that has been funded by their case manager, in cash, etc.), everyone must display behavior that does not affect others. To protect the rights of all customers, any person who is presenting loud, offensive, dangerous behavior is addressed by transit staff/police. Anyone who refuses to pay is reported to the transit police. The homeless are dealt with in a respectful manner and they know that if they are in need of help, they can come to the bus transfer depot for assistance. Our policies are effective in the short term, less so in the long term. Having spoken with our staff, including representatives from Planning, Dispatch, Operations, and Customer Service, no staff could recall any problems or complaints regarding homeless individuals. We make an effort to train our operators to respect all people, no matter their circumstance. We do have policies and training that are directed to how to handle customers who are disruptive on the bus. We have clear “rules for riding” that address most issues that we see when dealing with homeless people.

72 We’ve had success with law enforcement and the introduction of fares. We will never solve the problem of homelessness in our city, and as long as there are homeless, there will be homeless individuals in our system. But we have been successful in placing many into various housing options, including permanent housing. Positive but challenging. Officers offer resources and build rapport with homeless community, but typically there are high numbers of refusal and there are limited resources to address homelessness (lack of beds/shelters). The agency has created a special pass that helps support homeless people who are in county case managed programs to connect them to jobs, training, housing, etc. . . . This creates an incentive to go into an official program for support, and those who use the pass tell us it was critical for their success. We have also partnered with a non-profit that repairs bikes to give to needy residents. Its business model seeks to engage with homeless to teach them a skill, maintaining/ repairing their bikes, and in the process of their interactions they gain their trust and help them connect with other services in the county. Our innovative thinking in designing a Community Intervention Program has been very successful; we have linked many individuals to permanent supportive housing and other needed services. But because of system failures and lack of support from the cities/counties, we continue to see a rise in homelessness. Based on a reduction in complaints from customers. We show respect or at least try to, but some people are harder to help than others and some do not want our help, but they want their perceived rights of access protected. We are constantly cleaning restrooms and had to add staff just for this purpose. We find a distinct disregard for property. Damage due to vandalism is taking its toll. 1. Low-income bus pass; 2. Relationship with a non-profit that supports the homeless; 3. Our drivers, for the most part, are at the front line of all customer dealings and they’ve done an outstanding job overall; 4. We could always do better; i.e., county payment for more low-income passes, etc. The public safety staff and operators are very consistent with respect to the basic rules of riding. If a customer, homeless or not, follows the rules then everyone wins. The mindset we have toward the homeless. We understand their need for transit and are willing to work with them, even if they violate ordinances. The Transit Agency Hearing Officer works with them to clear up current or past fines by attendance at the transit PD Public Safety Class, reduced fines, and community service waivers to clear fines. I chose this rating as in my view to be very successful we would be able to solve each problem for all of the people we encounter at least most of the time. On occasion we struggle to find appropriate resources to assist the volume and variety of issues homeless people face each shift. This is particularly so during the late hours of service. For the most part the major challenge our police force has to deal with is homeless repeatedly panhandling or being present in a way that makes other transit users uncomfortable. If we have no agency to assist them or they refuse to accept help then the problem persists. I suggest the majority of the time the real cause of the problems is not the fact that the clients are homeless, it is that they suffer from a mental illness. Customer survey responses state that they feel safe, but comments do reflect the issue and it is a concern for local businesses. We have active participation with local support systems as well as our awareness of the issue. Our personnel try to interact with all of our customers with compassion. Unfortunately there will always be that tiny percentage who understand only law enforcement, handcuffs and incarceration. Complaints are small in number and there is equal treatment provided to all users of the bus service. By the nature of the problem, it would be difficult to claim to be very successful. But we have had success in defusing threatening situations and been able to maintain a positive community image. We don’t have a significant problem, and we do consider people without other means of transportation to be our primary customers. The homeless are typically in this category of customer. We even offer discounts to social service agencies for tickets and passes, and some of these tickets and passes make their way into the hands of homeless. For Somewhat Unsuccessful or Neutral Ratings: People who are homeless are sometimes uncooperative and become a safety issue for the driver and passengers.

73 We provide free fares at this time and have a good relationship with non-profit agencies. We are trying to raise the capital funds to reconstruct a more secure and safe transfer facility, while at the same time there is a strong anti- development push that also targets transit (as if transit investments are the Trojan Horse for wealthy developers to ruin the quality of life). It is a very fluid and dynamic situation. The challenge of homelessness is a societal issue, not just for public transit to address. It seems to be a continuous cycle and the numbers are increasing. We have not had large problems, only isolated incidents; most passengers tend to be forgiving but a few have been rather vocal. Temporary fix. Not that big a factor in our city. Staff shortages. We have a high volume of verbal altercations that interrupt service. Because of security issues, customer interactions, and hygiene issues, we are not satisfied with what we are doing but we have great cooperation with the homeless agencies for taking the homeless to shelters. As the newly assigned director, it is my goal to conduct more outreach efforts. No efforts have been made in the past unless requested by an outside partner. I would like the engagement to come from within our organization, not a reactive response; this is my vision. We don’t seem to have a major issue with homeless. Our system only has several small transfer points, all on private property, so we don’t have a major terminal that allows people to congregate the entire day. We do not actively engage homeless populations. We have discounted “agency” pass program, which offers discount passes to human service agencies to distribute to their clients. With limited resources it is difficult to do the things that you would like to do. At the same time, we feel we are doing a reasonable job with the available resources. We work closely with other local jurisdictions on this issue since most of the issues revolve around where they are congregating. Homeless may ride the bus service, but they have to disembark at the end of the line after one round trip, so we do not have as many onboard issues compared to those at transit centers and bus stops. Homelessness isn’t a large problem and it really only exists at our transit center, which is adjacent to a homeless shelter. I selected neutral because we continue to have occasional issues but it’s not a major concern. About the only two issues are hygiene and camping out on transit property. There is no clear-cut way to have a homeless person removed from a bus shelter when they are causing interference with customers. If the homeless person is endangering anyone or themselves the police can be called, but the homeless person will often come back soon after they have been forced to leave the bus shelter. 18. What has been the primary benefit of these efforts? Responses summarized in Table 29, chapter four of report. Verbatim responses are provided here. The homeless have access to our system, and this is often necessary if they are to improve their situation. For example, they can use our system to get to a job interview. For the agency, we get more ridership and we provide benefit to the community, which are measures of our success. The primary benefits to communicating with the homeless person in a professional and respectful manner has been to help them realize that you are there to help them and to keep the interaction civil. Some homeless are unaware of some of the options they have to better their lives and get off the streets. Keep making them leave the encampment and nothing can be done about hygiene. A reduction in incidents and a feeling on the part of drivers that we have their back. The perception of a safer, cleaner, and more attractive bus service. A generally pleasant environment on our trains and buses. Banning certain repeat offenders from our property and bus service.

74 Better understanding that the cities/county are responsible for homeless encampments/issues at bus stops. Operator and customer satisfaction with our efforts to address the concerns. Customer understanding and tolerance. The benefits of our focused approach on problem clients are that often we can find support for them and therefore eliminate or at least reduce the problem. When we help we also build support from the public and other agencies as they appreciate that police spend the time and effort to help these people. We try to work with human service agencies to provide rides for people and to get people back and forth to food banks. Having a purpose to ride the bus seems to have tapped down issues. Unknown. Many of the homeless no longer view the police as a threat to them. Identify a vulnerable population, work to engage them in behavior modification and connection to services, and therefore create a more user friendly public transit system. Thursday coordinated overnight mission with transit police security—different location every Thursday. Keep track of contacts, transportation provided by one of our partners, always in CBD. Everyone is treated fairly and the expectations are clearly understood. No benefits for us, except good working relations with the agencies that assist the homeless population. No benefits identified yet as we are trying new initiatives. Our city does not have the homeless population found in most major metropolitan areas. Our social-service agency partner connects homeless to essential life improving services. Progress—we are better suited to deal with homeless than we were 10 years ago, but the numbers are growing. Other passengers witnessing interactions. Establishing rapport and persistent outreach efforts. Developing a support system in each county, consistent collaboration, education and training. This effort has reduced recidivism of high calls for service, incarceration and hospital visits with those individuals who have a history of multiple contacts. We are able to minimize disruptive behavior and customer complaints, as well as help homeless persons connect with services/housing/jobs. We have housed many homeless that have been homeless for 10+ years. Also, we have open communication with social service agencies to provide support. Shelters and benches and bus stops have been freed up during regular service hours. Short-term solutions to problems on an individual basis. Hostile and disruptive people are removed from the system on a short-term basis, but they frequently return and the problem begins again. Helping many of those who are most needy as well as making our other customers more comfortable. We do believe that our outreach efforts with local nonprofits and government agencies have helped to enable access to transportation and information about transportation for the homeless. Customers who for the most part obey the rules of riding our buses. Effective enforcement. Effective dealings with the homeless. We are sometimes able to get help for homeless individuals. Assist those who are in need. Protects each customer’s rights. Everyone is treated the same with the same expectation for “good” behavior. When an individual refuses to pay the fare or is found to be using someone else’s Fare Card, often they are allowed free passage with no repercussions. This may actually be creating a feeling of entitlement for some. Bad behavior gets them free

75 passage on the bus or train, so they repeat the behaviors. Also when our staff choose to not engage but rather defer to the customer, the customer may choose to act the same way or even escalate their behavior in the future. Operators being more understanding of the homeless. Safe and comfortable ride for the customers 19. What have been the primary drawbacks of these efforts? Responses summarized in Table 30, chapter four of report. Verbatim responses are provided here. Loss of ridership, loss of time to change out a bus or while waiting for assistance. Sometimes they can be disruptive and we are forced to discharge them from the bus. Urination, defecation, piles of belongings in trash bags create a dirty, unhealthy environment for everyone. More work for the bus and train maintenance crews. Impacts other customers and in some cases encourages them to investigate other transit options like car pools or commuter buses. When our staff defers to the bad behavior of some customers, the customers may feel entitled to not pay fares at all. Become increasingly aggressive when confronted by some staff but not all. Inconsistent staff responses create inconsistent expectations among customers, which may actually cause them to escalate their behavior. Many of our customers who are homeless do have psychiatric disabilities. Being homeless often impacts their ability to fill prescriptions, maintain a schedule for meds, take food with some meds, etc. Irrational behaviors may actually be a symptom of their disease and a call for help. Our staff are limited in what they can do. Violations of the Code of Conduct. Funding. Transit Police has zero funding available for homeless outreach. Also, one of the biggest vocal challenges faced when dealing with the homeless patrons is the continuous writing of citations to individuals who have no means of paying the fines. Transit Police has no system in place, other than the officer calling the district attorney to seek a higher charge for the habitual crime. This process would take the individual off the street with longer jail time. This is still not a permanent solution to the problem, because that person will still be homeless when released from jail. Doesn’t necessarily address the underlying cause of homelessness, just addresses the behavior. Hasn’t solved the problem of someone being homeless. I don’t think there really are any drawbacks, other than we’re diverting transportation funds to social services because social service agencies would not take responsibility for this issue in the transportation system. Potential for physical encounters that can result in injuries to the staff, passengers, or the antagonist. Inconsistency of collaborative efforts between counties. Some people mistakenly think that the transit agency is encouraging homeless to ride transit rather than go to a shelter. We are occasionally criticized by those who think our vehicles are being “misused” as a shelter. Only temporary fixes. Lack of support from the local government and little recourse on a legal level. Individuals typically return each night or simply move to another location. Cost. Appearance. Lack of an ability to handle repeat offenders. Again the same issues mentioned above. Not 7 days a week; engaging 400 people 12–4 at one station, how many people are you really helping? Takes a long time to build up trust with homeless persons. People, staff, resources, money. Often disorganization on the part of the homeless. But we keep trying to get them there. We still have disruptive passengers, but we can’t always tell if the person is homeless or not. In fact in those situations, we are more concerned with the immediate situation rather than whether the person is homeless or not.

76 Unknown. It is simply the expenditure of time. We serve a very large geographic area with a significant population of mentally ill homeless people. It is not specifically a drawback; it simply takes time to get around and deal with all these people. No. Resources expended on the effort at all levels. Time and budget constraints. None, but there continues to be a lack of understanding about how to handle these situations by local elected officials who believe the responsibility lies elsewhere (like with the public transportation program), when this is a community/ social service/mental health/veterans issue, not necessarily a transportation issue. None. None. Never enough. Security and communication take resources, of which there are never enough. The primary drawbacks have been when a homeless person is not being rational and will not listen to anyone who is willing to help them get off the street. A homeless person cannot be forced to take medication that could help them be rational. Unfortunately this can cause the homeless person to get arrested and be physically forced out of the bus shelter. None really. 20. What was the most successful action taken, and why? Responses summarized in Table 31, chapter four of report. Verbatim responses are provided here. Careful selection of supervisors and security staff so that careful management of our customer services and rules and regulations for behavior are balanced with compassion. Discounts for social service agencies for transit tickets and passes. The homeless have access to our system, and this is often necessary if they are to improve their situation. For example, they can use our system to get to a job interview. For the agency, we get more ridership and we provide benefit to the community, which are measures of our success. The most successful action has been when the Homeless Action Committee convinces the person to come to the homeless shelter to get help. The Action Committee will drive the person to the location and answer their questions. The partnership with the Coalition whereby we are seen as a community partner and part of the solution. We can act to bring folks together to combat a community problem. Operator training and front-line supervisory training, because they know the resources available to assist the homeless. Signage and enforcement. Developing community partnerships with the homeless outreach teams. Keeping everything clean. If it is allowed to stay dirty, then that is what people will expect and treat it as such. Community outreach and interaction with the downtown business groups. Specific action plans designed for an individual, especially when other branches of the agency and necessary community resources assist. When we tailor our activity to deal with the needs of one person and we focus several people or resources on those tasks. there is always some level of success. Increased supervision and security in order to minimize disruptions—may or may not be homeless individuals. Having Homeless Hearings in our space across from the homeless court and the shelter. This has allowed us to gain more compliance from the homeless and mentally ill. Order outs, connection to social services, and behavior modification via travel restrictions. Thursday night mission for homeless. Enforcement for our customers. We support a local homeless emergency housing project whereby homeless are sheltered during extreme cold. The transit agency provides free rides to the centers and supplies day passes for the following day when these folks leave the

77 shelters. I think the homeless who participate in this program recognize the value the transit agency plays in keeping them safe. The relationships established with the agencies. Increased supervisor, police, and security presence. This has ensured our facilities remain clean and customers feel safe. In my mind, the best thing was investing in the low-income passes, and this program was so successful, that an additional 50% investment occurred 2 or 3 years later to boost the number of passes available each month. Project Homeless Connect for many years running. Free access to dental, pet care, haircuts—anything a person living on the street might need—is found at one place on a specific day. Agency workers make contact and can begin to follow up and try to place the homeless person in appropriate housing. Banning passengers for multiple offenses. Operators become more involved when they feel they have some support. We have worked with County Community Service Department and local police to get individuals to move from locations, especially during regular service hours. Our most successful action was starting our Community Intervention Project. Our collaboration with the university students/social workers for outreach, the county-issued pass to participants in case-managed services, and our bicycle partnership have all been great. Through our collaboration with the county and others in the non-profit community, we have been able to help needy customers connect with services/support. Developing a work group to collectively share the responsibility to address and assist those in need of services and outreach. Redirecting people to services and agencies that can provide assistance; e.g., local charities, social service agencies, churches that provide outreach and support. Initially, developing an outreach program with professional outreach workers. More recently, partnering with the city to increase outreach capabilities. As mentioned, the introduction of fares. Consistent enforcement of the rules of conduct. Maintains consistent application of the policy. Operator training on how to interact with customers has been very successful. This includes training on how to de-escalate confrontations. We do refresher training for each operator, which requires 8 h/year (union contract). If we are informed that the person does in fact have a medical emergency, we then offer EMT or emergency transportation to get help. From there, they are transported to a local hospital to receive emergency care. I do not have an answer for this block. Providing Customer Service Training. The most successful action was when the bus operator pulled into the coach stop to call for help. The customer got off the bus, therefore no time was lost. Operator needed to safely pull over and notify Radio Control and seek assistance. 21. How would your agency assess the balance between positive and punitive actions in interactions with homeless persons? Current balance is about right 51.2% 22 Could use more positive actions (such as vouchers for services, partnerships with other agencies, etc.) 44.2% 19 Could use more enforcement 4.7% 2 22. If you could change ONE aspect in the process of your agency’s interactions with people who are homeless, what would you change? Responses summarized in Table 32, chapter four of report. Verbatim responses are provided here. Homeless shelter agencies to deploy task force to handle such situations in the field.

78 The way they are addressed. Again, the majority of our customers who are homeless are peaceful. For those who occasionally cannot pay or become argumentative…many of our non-homeless fall into that category at one time or another. But, for those who are not peaceful but rather act aggressively, belligerently or abusively toward our staff, I would like to see that they are reprimanded or at least called on their inappropriate behaviors. Transit police respond very quickly and for the most part they defuse the situation unless there is a safety issue. I did have a chance to speak with one customer who was arrested by the transit police and handed over to the local authorities. In his words, he had been homeless on and off for years, moving between homeless shelters in our central city and a suburban county and then transitional housing in between. The customer did admit that he did not routinely follow up with his medications. My office had received many reports of this customer’s inappropriate behaviors and possible animal abuse from other staff as well as other customers. Finally, a bus operator contacted the police regarding the customer’s refusal to comply with ridership responsibilities. The customer later told me that although he was arrested and his dog impounded at the animal shelter (reunited upon release) he was forced into treatment at the psychiatric hospital. He credits that action to have saved his life. None at this time. Difficult to say. It could be beneficial if local emergency shelters had more extended hours of operation. Part of the reason that homeless sometimes spend extended periods of time at either our transit shelter or on buses during inclement weather is that they are seeking somewhere warm to shelter themselves from winter weather. Recently, the city opened a new emergency shelter and this has helped considerably, providing the homeless a place to go in the evenings November 1st through April 30th, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily. None. Lift up—using transit to assist in job placement, housing opportunities. I’d have outreach teams at some of our critical (and “more popular”) stations 24/7. Really, the biggest issue is lack of bathrooms if we could afford to build and maintain them. More direct partnerships with cities and support organizations that might be able to provide solutions at a higher level. To increase training for personnel on homeless and community awareness. Difficult to explain: The ability to refuse entry/reentry into transit hubs when homeless are refusing services offered to them. Main issue has been that even when Community Service Agency provides clean environment/shelter, many individuals choose to return back to street. More involvement from social service agencies. Nothing at this time. More tools than just calling the police, but I would need more resources and we can’t afford them. Improve communications with county human services and non-profits. The communications are good, but they could be better. Dealing with the hygiene issues on the buses. A central clearinghouse agency for passes. We are in the process of partnering with a newly formed Homeless Coalition in an effort to provide people with a resource rather than push the problem somewhere else in the community. Ensuring that those who do get banned from using the system are well-informed regarding their rights to get their riding privileges reinstated. Sometimes these folks don’t understand and don’t have advocates who can help them regain riding status. Without the bus their lives become even harder, so it’s important that a good system is in place to help them in these instances. Wonderful if we could get state grant to augment efforts. Take the lead. We are working on this. I wouldn’t change a thing. I believe we are fair to the homeless and work with them when we can.

79 Overcoming passenger discomfort of the homeless. Greater understanding of transit needs. I believe we are on the right track now. In the past year we have increased our client services unit from one officer to two full-time people. I won’t say “change” our interactions, I would say continue to expand our connection to resources that assist homeless people. We just need to work hard to inform our officers on patrol about what we can do for the homeless and how to do it. This comes from enhanced knowledge of, and relationships with, the numerous agencies in our region. More convenient ways to connect the person with the appropriate resources. More communication with the homeless agencies. Working with other county/city agencies that have resources to address this issue, implement a process that could be used to address this issue proactively on behalf of special districts. Nothing, really. That the agencies who serve the homeless clients would take a greater role and responsibility in funding and supporting the services we provide. Given the level of complaints and issues that arise directly from homeless persons, the process is considered appropriate. Improve the skills of our drivers and have them realize we do have their backs. The ability to remove them from private property with less red tape. Have higher internal management awareness and have stronger partnerships with local Action Committees. In my role, I don’t have the ability to change it, but I would prefer that the transit center was not the de facto shelter for homeless. It would be better if there was another location where they could congregate. 23. Please describe any “lessons learned” that would benefit other transit agencies. Responses summarized in Table 33, chapter four of report. Verbatim responses are provided here. To successfully get homeless folks the help that they need immediately. When our agency staff treats homeless persons with respect, customers get the message that they are not violent or unwanted, and in turn, other customers do not disrespect homeless persons riding on our system, for the most part. In one case a customer who was homeless and used a power chair became ill at one station. The paramedics were called and the customer was taken to the hospital. An incident report was filed. The station manager, transit police and others involved did not know what to do with the customer’s very large power chair. So they stored it at the station. Several days later the man was about to be released but could not be released without his power chair. The chair was powered up and taken in a transit vehicle to the hospital. While all ended well, we did learn that this was not appropriate procedure. EMTs prefer to not transport any person’s wheelchair, even though the ADA states that a person’s wheelchair must not be separated from him or her. Obviously the chair was not going to fit into the ambulance. In addition, while waiting for assistance the customer’s power chair battery drained. While the power chair was on the transit agency’s property it became our liability. If the chair had been damaged during transport the agency could have been at fault. We did learn that in the future if this happens the EMTs must be held accountable for the person’s wheelchair. This is also true for a service animal. Enforcing a Code of Conduct is of major importance in order to provide a safe environment for the traveling public. Difficult to say. Operator and supervisor training for working and interacting with customers. Fares. Willingness to fund a robust outreach program has been critical. Since parts of the system provide warmth in the winter and air conditioning in the summer, and it’s open 24/7, it becomes a de facto shelter to many of the city’s less fortunate residents. Dedicated outreach teams who get to know the clients and establish relationships can often be successful in getting these individuals, who may initially be service-resistant, to accept services. Even projects to improve safety and reduce crime can be viewed with hostility by anti-development activists.

80 Positive interactions garner greater results than just enforcement. Enforcement is a short-term and temporary solution at best. Elevate the issue to government and NGO bodies that can have an impact on the problem as a whole. Share as much information as possible with other stakeholders who might be able to effect change in the community. To develop a positive and consistent relationship with resources, outreach services and court system (mental health court, alcohol and other drug court, veterans court). Hiring the right staff to deal with homeless concerns. None. Haven’t had any significant incidents that have generated lessons learned. Be consistent with application and enforcement of rules of conduct on buses and at facilities. Homeless does not mean stupid or ignorant and we should not presume to think they will tolerate an overly zealous application of the rules any more than any other customer. Partner with local law enforcement. You can’t manage this alone. Working with the homeless agencies has helped us remove some homeless from the buses during cold weather. Partner with the community leaders who can have a positive impact. Regularly interacting with your city’s human rights organizations. Our city has a commission that is part of the city’s structure and sometimes they only hear from folks who feel disenfranchised. Being sure the transit agency has regular interactions and provides good information regarding the transit system’s expectations is very helpful. Coordination with various city law enforcement agencies. Seasonal issue, be prepared to implement plan. As mayors change, hopefully there will be enough continuity in senior management at the transit agency. Assess and understand gateway crimes and understand the ramification if those gateway crimes—such as loitering, urinating, trespassing, littering and open container—are not addressed. Years ago we had a poor experience with a homeless man named Val. For years he would sit on the side of the road across from our downtown platforms and cuss and swear at the transit police officers, until one day an officer went over to him and chatted him up and eventually took him to lunch. We learned that Val had been an alcoholic before, but he was sober now. He had held a job as the head of facilities for a local school district and was on a pension. We changed our view of Val and he followed suit; he is now one of our cheerleaders in the homeless community. Our officers have demonstrated their compassion for him by keeping him in cold winter clothing and gear for the past several years. He is too proud to stay at the shelter or even with family. We see him almost every day near our main police HQ. Free fares will exacerbate any potential problems. There is a definite benefit in committing full-time resources to assist homeless and mentally ill people. The time expended on intervention and prevention pays off exponentially and success is always dependent on knowledge and relationships built over time. Community outreach is worth the time and resources. Respect the humanity of the person, look for ways to connect them to appropriate resources, and always keep safety first. We have recently provided mental health training and refresher training of operators and support staff. Keep senior management aware of issues related to homelessness that impact transit services and encourage dialogue with city/county agencies that have resources to address the issues. These are hard to find and unless there is a champion among the local elected officials, it is difficult to have any traction on resolving the issues that are created by the homeless population. Need to be firm and consistent with interactions. We’re still learning. It takes patience and endurance. You have to keep doing the right thing. Keep the encampment clear at all times; do not let them stay. Be patient and empathetic with the homeless and make it clear that you are here to help them as well. We sort of operate with a soft hand, given that our issue is not a major one when it comes to homeless.

81 ACTIONS 24. What types of actions has your agency taken with regard to people who are homeless? (Check all that apply.) Partnerships with social service or non-profit agencies to encourage persons who are homeless to seek assistance 71.1% 32 Partnerships with local law enforcement agencies 68.9% 31 Enforcement of anti-loitering laws 62.2% 28 Additional cleaning of transit vehicles and facilities 51.1% 23 Periodic sweeps of areas where homeless persons are known to congregate 40.0% 18 Requirement that riders exit the bus or train at the last stop and pay an additional fare to re-board 35.6% 16 Discounted fares for persons who are homeless 28.9% 13 No specific actions undertaken 6.7% 3 Other (please specify): 28.9% 13 Other includes: (1) Again, anti-loitering laws are enforced only when a customer is disruptive. All vehicles and facilities are cleaned on schedule but more so when there are reports of urination, defecation, and possible spillage of substances that they may be carrying. Partnerships with existing law enforcement exists. We do have excellent partnerships with most social services and non-profits through our ADA and Eligibility Certification Office. Discounted fares are available for people with disabilities and those over 65. Youth discounts through schools. Our Outreach offices are in contact with most homeless programs. (2) The County Conference of Churches purchases All Day bus passes from the transit agencies in bulk. The Conference of Churches administers multiple programs providing services to the homeless and other at-risk populations. (3) Transient populations that congregate around transit centers or larger shopping areas are bigger issues that affect more than just our transit system. (4) Note: The city’s anti-loitering laws were stricken down some years ago, so anti-loitering enforcement is not a strategy that is available to us. (5) Providing information directly to homeless about support and assistance services. (6) Implemented the transit Police Crisis Intervention Training Coordinator & Community Outreach Liaison. (7) Employing a licensed social worker to serve the homeless and advocate in the community for their needs. (8) Offer discounted passes for distribution to homeless population through human service and non-profit agencies. (9) We use our “unlawful use of facility” ordinance to go after panhandling on transit vehicles and property. Rail and bus have a 3 EOL limit policy that requires another fare after three EOLs. (10) In some cases our client services officers have personally assisted homeless people in obtaining annual transit passes. When other agencies were unable to get results, our officers have sometimes sought out and found shelters for homeless people. When possible our force focuses on prevention. We seek to uncover the reason this person is causing a concern on our system and deal with that issue. We use enforcement, however enforcement almost never deals with the root issue that brought them to our attention. If they are panhandling to get money for food, enforcement does nothing. If we connect them to a source of food then they no longer need to panhandle. (11) County police have swept areas a couple of times. (12) We provided the Coalition for the Homeless with a retired van pool van so that they could conduct sweeps. (13) The discounted fares are through social service agencies. We don’t deal directly with the homeless to provide discounted fares. 25. Does your agency undertake collaborative efforts to interact with homeless persons in partnership with others? Yes 75.0% 33 No 25.0% 11

82 26. Who are your partners in these collaborative efforts? (Check all that apply.) Social service agencies serving homeless persons 84.9% 28 Non-profit agencies serving homeless persons 78.8% 26 City police 72.7% 24 Homeless shelters 63.6% 21 Private-sector agencies serving homeless persons 24.2% 8 Other (please specify): 15.2% 5 Other includes: (1) Mental health providers, Case Managers for Employment and Training, or Day Support. (2) Local churches (different from non-profits that are more geared toward service intervention). Public Health and Social Services syringe exchange program. (3) County Sheriff’s Department; City Government in the transit service area. (4) University students. (5) (County) sheriff’s deputies. 27. Please describe the nature of these efforts. How did they begin? How do they work? Responses summarized in Table 18, chapter three of report. Verbatim responses are provided here. We have a bus trip that operates past the homeless shelter early in the morning when the homeless are required to depart the homeless shelter. This connects the homeless with other bus routes at our transit center, and they either continue on their way or they remain at the transit center until the library opens. Also, by providing passes to social service agencies at a discount, we are part of the solution for homeless who are trying to improve their situation. We are great partners with the city police, and we have partnered with them to adopt soft-handed tactics to deal with homeless on transit property and vehicles. The City Homeless Action Committee was advertised and I have seen their vehicles throughout the area. I made contact with the Committee when we had a situation of a woman living in one of our bus shelters on and off for several weeks a few years ago. The police have been called on many occasions to assist in protecting customers from the homeless involved in illegal behavior. The efforts have varied depending on the situation. We provided the Coalition for the Homeless with a retired van pool van so that they could conduct sweeps. Homeless Commission meets in our board room for their regular monthly meetings. Our interactions are strained now that we are forcing the nonprofits to pay for the formerly “free” passes starting October 1st. We are having multiple opportunities to interact and share our thoughts on the issue. Individuals without homes and others (sometimes we have no idea whether or not they’re homeless) cross transit center property and loiter when the shelter is closed. We began by calling the police when individuals were belligerent, threatening (rare) or in an altered state; over time, working with legal counsel and police, we established relationships, erected signs, and consistently enforced the rules. County mental health has a representative who can work with transit police in the field to offer services to homeless encountered at transit facilities. Transit police work with city and county law enforcement to address issues with homeless individuals at bus stops. Referrals once contact is made with the person. We sit on homeless committee boards, we participate in city hall–driven programs, and we partner with virtually anyone we can who can help us deal with our clientele. The genesis of these interactions is sometimes brought on by a particular incident. We make a concerted effort to reach out to all the agencies. One major way we become involved is we ask the key officers in each city police force to invite us to the committees and forums they are involved in. We work hard to contribute and thus far we have been welcomed in as everyone needs more help. Our marketing/agency communications staff manages the human service agency pass program. Homeless shelters send emails on a daily basis to operations and scheduling staff regarding how many clients are staying at the shelter. Coffee with a Cop. We are looking to other outreach with the City Police Department. Began with the prosecutor’s office and local law enforcement then branched to social services as a complete partnership.

83 City Police, a social service agency with a contract through the City, but they only work 8–4. Catholic Charities. City dept. of family support services, dept. of public health, vendors, contractors. Through our area’s coordinated human services transportation plan we provide funding for an area clinic that supplies crisis intervention (transportation) for those experiencing drug, alcohol, and mental health related issues We offer a 50 percent discount on fares purchased by private not-for-profit agencies We provide a program offering free rides to the homeless on freezing nights. Annual agreement with the City Police Department for scheduled presence at major transit center. Bus pass program for non-profit organizations. Police deal with security issues, agencies taking the homeless after we pick them up from a centralized locations to shelters. We are part of the Safe Place network for kids in partnership with the local shelter for at-risk youth. We sought out the partnership with the agency. Seems to be working well. We have Safe Place info posted on all our buses and in our transit center. The agency has seen an increase in respondents since Safe Place info was made available. Project Homeless Connect—we were asked to partner with the non-profit sponsoring the program. Works very well. Primarily with local police for enforcement of bus rules. We also have a program with the winter shelter where we sell discounted tickets to the shelter for their clients. We have a close relationship with police on all potential security issues, and we’ve formalized our meetings/progress over the past 5 or so years. We work with social service agencies on transportation issues and they help sell our discounted passes to low income/homeless people. They also work with the homeless on many issues that we see and don’t see, where we know transportation is a key issue. Finally, as noted earlier, we work with non-profits who regularly meet and discuss with us issues related to transportation for the homeless. An example of the latter that worked well is in the winter of 2013/14 we had several polar vortexes and we provided transportation between day and night shelters. Our Social Worker coordinates all needed services for the homeless. We began the project in 2011 and we have had many successes in housing chronically homeless individuals. Meet and greet law enforcement agencies, social services, homeless outreach, and shelters; establish rapport with supervisors, managers, and coordinators; develop a collaborative plan of action. Connect with other existing work groups throughout the system in other counties. The work group would collectively identify specific cases, share information, develop a plan, follow up with team, report progress and outcomes monthly, and maintain a direct and consistent communication line with team resources. Outreach and networking. Partnerships need constant attention. Would like to bring more to the table other than awareness of the problem. It’s a work in progress. Regular meetings with City Police and City Department of Homeless Services to discuss areas of concern. Our service provider conducts joint outreach with the Police. Beds are provided by City and not-for profit agencies (paid for by the City). We offer a discounted “Agency fare” to local agencies to assist homeless people with transportation needs. Most of these relationships are unfortunately fostered by incidents. It’s been an ongoing effort throughout the communities we serve and has been in place for a number of years. The issue of homelessness typically receives attention from local groups that we interact with on a regular basis, both formally and informally. The transit agency provides service information to various agencies, public and non-profit alike. We remain in constant contact with these agencies, promptly alerting them to any planned changes in service. Transit Police currently entered in an interagency Memorandum of Understanding Agreement with City Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOT). HOT is composed of one sergeant, two officers, and one mental health professional from the County Mental Health/Mental Retardation Authority. The team helps the homeless with the following: • Housing • Social Security cards • Passports • Birth certificates • Shelter referrals • Medical equipment • Employment • Bus fare • Medical care • Mental health treatment. Transit police officers make voluntary rotations when the staff is available to assist and train with the City Police Department’s HOT. The City Police Department has a County counselor on their team that can pair homeless patrons with a caseworker who can help them. This partnership helps with the limited resources that are available to us. During the rotation with HOT, transit police officers are given the opportunity to have available the following resources: • SEARCH Homeless Services • Lord of the Streets • Bread of Life • Palmer Way Station • Star of Hope • Salvation Army • Healthcare for the Homeless • US Vets • Goodwill.

84 We have a strong outreach team that promotes our Reduced Fare Programs and our paratransit programs. In 2008 we set out to identify the non-profits, government programs, self-supporting groups, hospital therapy groups and professionals, case managers serving local and federal governments, employment and training programs, high schools, and other types of professional and volunteer groups/individuals that serve people with disabilities. We continue to add to our distribution lists. We identified most of the homeless shelters through human service agencies where they often receive funding but also through the organizations that provide day support, employment training, and even food banks to help us identify actual homeless shelters. We have created and distribute lists of shelters, food banks, donation centers where inexpensive furniture can be purchased, clothing distributors, and more. Reaching out to others encourages others to contact us as well. There is a homeless shelter next to the bus base/yard, where they ride out and ride in during the day. They began long time ago and they work with the County programs. 28. Does your agency’s level of effort in interacting with homeless persons change by season? (Check all that apply.) No, constant year-round 62.2% 28 Yes, more extensive in cold winter weather 28.9% 13 Yes, more extensive in inclement weather (snow, heavy rain) 15.6% 7 Yes, more extensive in hot summer weather 11.1% 5 Comments include: (1) We are a beach community that draws many tourists and homeless in the summer. (2) We have an increase in summer with exposure issues. (3) There is not a great deal of difference, however we only operate the free transit pass program in times of extreme weather shelter activation, so we are more extensive in that sense in winter. (4) We allow folks to ride on “white flag” days. (5) It seems to be random times of the year. 29. Do your agency’s interactions with homeless persons vary by mode? (Check all that apply.) We only operate one mode 34.9% 15 Yes, more extensive on bus 20.9% 9 No 20.9% 9 Yes, more extensive on rail 18.6% 8 Yes, more extensive in bus transit centers 18.6% 8 Yes, more extensive in rail stations 7.0% 3 Yes, more extensive on paratransit 0.0% 0 Comments include: (1) Each mode is affected. (2) Transient populations are a bigger concern. (3) Our “Agency” pass is only applicable to local routes. Not good on regional travel or on our express bus service. (4) The interactions are greatest in the right of way, at transit centers, on the bus, then on light rail. Rarely on commuter rail. (5) Buses; the agency has other contractors that may have issues with rail, paratransit, and stations. (6) In the core city there is more of a noted issue at bus stops; on rail the issue is both on rail and on the platform. Bus is the primary location, with loitering, drinking at bus stops. (7) We are expanding our role on buses so soon I expect it will be equitable but currently we interact more with homeless on and around the trains. (8) Paratransit is only for ADA-eligible individuals—no homeless issue. Problem only affects fixed route. RESPONSIBILITIES AND RESOURCES 30. What is the approximate size of the homeless population that impacts your system daily? Not sure 38.6% 17 Less than 100 27.3% 12 100–499 18.2% 8 500–999 9.1% 4 1,000 or more 6.8% 3

85 31. Who is responsible for implementing agency policies and procedures regarding people who are homeless? (Check all that apply.) Operations supervisors 72.7% 32 City or county police 40.9% 18 Other agency or non-agency staff (please specify): 40.9% 18 Transit police 30.6% 17 Other agency or non-agency staff include: (1) Day-to-day bus operators. (2) Mobile contracted security officers. (3) Contracted outreach provider, City Dept. of Homeless Services, transit agency management. (4) Only maintenance workers who have to clean, and perhaps some drivers. (5) In-house security and contract Sheriff’s Deputies. (6) Transit area has multiple jurisdictions; some are better than others in responding to and dealing with issues. (7) Management. (8) Contracted security staff. (9) We also have a private security company. (10) Scheduling, operations, legal. (11) Operations. (12) Both transit police and supervisors. They work together. If there is a problem on the bus, a driver will call our call center and from there the staff will determine action needed, which could mean involving transit police or other city/county agencies. (13) Travel Trainers, Security Coordinator, and Customer Service Staff. (14) We don’t have any specific policies regarding homeless. We have procedures in place to respond to disruptive passengers, fare evasion, possible biohazards. The response to these incidents usually involve road supervisors and sometimes law enforcement. (15) Director of Customer Service and Dispatch and security personnel. (16) Our security staff. (17) Management. (18) Street Amenities Manager and shelter cleaners. 32. Does one group have a lead role in implementation? No, responsibilities are shared 60.5% 26 Yes (please specify): 39.5% 17 Lead role includes: (1) Security. (2) Transit police. (3) We generally follow the lead of law enforcement and when it gets tricky (ACLU concerns) we consult with our attorney. (4) City Dept. of Homeless Services, transit agency management staff. (5) Maintenance staff clean facilities used as bathrooms. (6) Yes, the leadership falls on the Transit Enforcement Division, which employs the security force and oversees the contract with the County Sheriff’s Department. (7) Transit police department. (8) Operations. (9) Police. (10) Probably more Transit Police as first responders. (11) Operations Supervisors and Security Coordinator. (12) Transit Police. (13) Director of Customer Service and Dispatch. (14) Facilities and operations usually take the lead role. (15) Transit agency Division of Safety and Security. 33. Does your agency conduct or sponsor training in relation to interactions with homeless persons? No 40.9% 18 Yes, for first-line employees (e.g., bus operators, customer service personnel, transit police) 31.8% 14 Yes, for all employees 2.3% 1 Other 25.0% 11 Other responses include: (1) Our training is focused on serving customers who have disabilities. Not all customers who are homeless have a disability but the belief is that most do have a disability of some kind. (2) Yes, for transit police officers. (3) Operator training is an ongoing effort as are yearly refresher classes. (4) CIT training for PD. (5) All transit police officers and bus and rail supervisors. (6) Training for operators is not exclusive for homeless individuals, but is covered based on disruptive behavior. (7) Not specifically for homeless, but we have and are expanding our training for dealing with mentally ill people. The majority of our homeless have some form of mental illness. (8) Not specifically on homeless—just how to handle difficult situations. (9) The training is not specific to homeless. (10) Provided as part of employee training for customer service, not specifically for the homeless. (11) We are in the process of enhancing our conflict resolution training for all hands.

86 34. Has your agency defined budget impacts related to interacting with homeless persons? No 63.6% 28 Not sure 22.7% 10 Yes 13.6% 6 35. What is the approximate annual budget impact? Less than $100,000 33.3% 2 $100,000–$499,999 33.3% 2 $500,000–$999,999 0.0% 0 $1,000,000 or more 16.7% 1 Not sure 16.7% 1 36. How are these funds used? Primarily for the contract for outreach services; also funding for extra cleaning crews to assist outreach at terminal stations. The current free fare program costs upwards of $100,000, but the maintenance costs are not calculated. CIT Coordinator, CIT Training, Cleaning Services. Low-income bus passes (used by homeless) and other pass programs that non-profits use for the homeless. Additional staff at our transit station. Free bus passes that will be discontinued on 9/30/15. 37. Does your agency have dedicated staff to interact with homeless persons? No 84.4% 38 Yes 15.6% 7 38. How many staff persons are dedicated to interacting with homeless persons? 1 42.9% 3 2 28.6% 2 3 14.3% 1 4 or more 0.0% 0 Other (please specify): 14.3% 1 Other includes: It’s not really our staff....it’s the contractor’s staff. They have 60–70 staff dedicated to our subway program, another 18 or so dedicated to our commuter railroads. Some are management. 39. Does your agency conduct or participate in any community education efforts related to the problem of homelessness? No 57.8% 26 Yes, as a participating agency 42.2% 19 Yes, as the lead agency 0.0% 0 40. Please describe these community education efforts. Responses summarized in Table 20, chapter three of report. Verbatim responses are provided here. We do outreach to community-based organizations that serve homeless individuals. We work with each of the local jurisdiction’s emergency responders (police and fire). Participate in community outreach efforts with downtown associations and service organizations on a regular basis.

87 We do this both as the lead and a participating agency. Sometimes by making announcements over public address systems encouraging people to make donations to organizations that help the homeless, but not to give directly to the homeless; also, information about the fact that we are conducting outreach, and how they can contact us with concerns about a homeless individual on our property. As part of Public Safety outreach efforts conducted by local governments. 1. Work group. 2. National Alliance on Mental Illness Workshops 3. Conferences 4. Local partners (systemwide/four counties). 1. Low-income bus pass committee—activated in 2009 until the new program was implemented; 2. Disabled Vet pass program; 3. County/city homeless committee—we have been invited to speak in the past to describe our services and pass programs. The city hosted a multi-meeting event to educate itself and others on the extent of homelessness, possible solutions, and strategies to address. Transit was an observing participant and had opportunity to weigh in on the study. The city is now applying some of the best lessons learned. Police and social workers are working together to address the concerns, with arrest being a last resort. We participate in community education events to help with homelessness, including a group called Project Homeless Connect, which helps to connect individuals who are homeless with resources they need. City takes the lead. One example: Homeless youth task force, transit agency worked with city and developed a pass similar to U-pass IF proven to be attending school up to age 20. VA outreach conducted in order to assess and then contact homeless veterans on the system. We participate with homeless committees within the various cities and assist when we can with all their initiatives. Utilization of Crisis Solutions Center (CSC) which provides county responders with alternative options to jail and hospitalization settings when engaging with individuals age 18 or older who are in a behavioral health crisis. The goal is to reduce the cycling of individuals with mental health or substance use disorders through the criminal and crisis systems. This may include the homeless who are experiencing one of the above issues. A mobile crisis team (two mental health professionals) can be called 24 hours per day to assist people in mental health or substance use crisis. They can be consulted with any time of the day and can place individuals in a 16-bed “crisis diversion facility.” Allows stabilization services and linkage to community-based services for help. Also there is a Crisis Diversion Interim program if an individual is homeless and there is the potential for them to go into crisis again. Can stay up to 2 weeks. Assistance for longer-term housing may be provided. We work with a local group that provides services to the homeless and we provide free rides to homeless individuals who attend the annual resource event. Multiple agencies have seminars and summits on the issue and we usually send a representative to participate. We participate in job fairs and outreach sessions where we describe our services. We also emphasize appropriate behavior. 41. Are there any other aspects of your agency’s interactions with persons who are homeless that would be useful for us to know and that weren’t included in any of the questions? None. I do not think so. There are not any specific classes or training for the public or employees on dealing with the homeless on our transit system; all of our employees are aware that a lot of the patrons who utilize the system are homeless and that we will be sensitive to their needs at all times. However, “If you see something, say something!” and do not be relaxed about reporting the concerns to the proper authority. The silent challenge is making commonsense and good judgment choices on when to arrest someone who is homeless and in a crisis. None at this time. Not really; this survey has covered a lot of territory. No.

88 N/A—you covered it well on the other questions. No. No. None that I can think of. Struggle to get the right balance among needs of customers, employees, and the community at large Desire to work with Native American community. No. The CSC program noted in question 37 can be used repeatedly to help come up with a plan to help with recovery. The person must be willing to engage in services and have some behavioral control to participate. Criminal history classified as violent or sex offenses may make someone ineligible. The Crisis Diversion Interim Services (CDIS) has 23 beds and takes referrals from the crisis diversion facility. Helps with stabilization and to remove barriers to treatment such as homelessness. They can stay for 2 weeks and case management services are provided to identify all housing and support options available. Outreach has been done to Transit Police and other law enforcement to facilitate referrals. No. No. No. Not at this time. 42. Would you be willing to participate further as a case study, involving a telephone interview going into further detail on your agency’s experience, if selected by the TCRP panel for this project? Yes 74.4% 32 No 25.6% 11 43. Is there another transit system that you suggest we contact for this synthesis project? If you know of a contact at that system, please list the name also. Various responses. 16 systems mentioned, many of which were already included in the study.

Abbreviations and acronyms used without definitions in TRB publications: A4A Airlines for America AAAE American Association of Airport Executives AASHO American Association of State Highway Officials AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ACI–NA Airports Council International–North America ACRP Airport Cooperative Research Program ADA Americans with Disabilities Act APTA American Public Transportation Association ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials ATA American Trucking Associations CTAA Community Transportation Association of America CTBSSP Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program DHS Department of Homeland Security DOE Department of Energy EPA Environmental Protection Agency FAA Federal Aviation Administration FHWA Federal Highway Administration FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FRA Federal Railroad Administration FTA Federal Transit Administration HMCRP Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers MAP-21 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (2012) NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASAO National Association of State Aviation Officials NCFRP National Cooperative Freight Research Program NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NTSB National Transportation Safety Board PHMSA Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration RITA Research and Innovative Technology Administration SAE Society of Automotive Engineers SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (2005) TCRP Transit Cooperative Research Program TDC Transit Development Corporation TEA-21 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (1998) TRB Transportation Research Board TSA Transportation Security Administration U.S.DOT United States Department of Transportation

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 500 F ifth S treet, N .W . W ashing to n, D .C . 20001 A D D R ESS SER VICE R EQ UESTED