The Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved a two-year contract extension Thursday with the county’s Department of Health Services to continue homeless outreach services on Metro buses and trains.
Metro’s outreach teams offer housing services to homeless individuals on the agency’s transit properties. The cost for the services is about $4.9 million annually.
“We are acting in a socially responsible and caring manner by connecting the homeless with critically needed services and resources that our county has to offer,” Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington said.
The Metro board in 2016 approved a “Homeless Action Plan” that detailed the strategy of the outreach teams, and initially allocated $1.2 million to fund two teams. There are now eight teams operating systemwide, seven days a week.
Since the pilot program began in May 2017, Metro’s outreach teams have contacted almost 4,800 homeless people, linking about 1,200 of them to permanent housing solutions and housed 88 people permanently, according to the transit agency.