About Us

In 2018, Metro’s Board of Directors voted to fund multidisciplinary homeless outreach teams in an effort to provide essential resources to people experiencing homelessness on the Metro system. In partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Health Services and key community-based organizations, Metro has helped grow the number of teams to expand service delivery. The board asked the agency to re-envision transit safety in partnership with community leaders. With input from the Public Safety Advisory Committee and the community, the board approved a new approach to security in December 2021 that put an emphasis on building trust with our communities and taking a multilayered approach to security.

Metro is committed to improving our riders’ experience and safety by adding more visible staff to our bus and rail system. As part of that commitment, we’ve tripled the number of homeless outreach staff since 2018 and expanded their footprint across the system.

Metro Homeless Outreach Teams are not security officers and do not replace existing security personnel or law enforcement. Rather, they are an added workforce that collaborates with other Metro departments in order to improve the customer experience and help make the system feel safer for our riders.

What We Do

Metro Homeless Outreach Teams are diverse and come from the communities we serve. They have many years of experience engaging people experiencing homelessness, and the essential resources they provide help people find housing.

Metro Homeless Outreach Teams will:

• Engage unhoused riders through a person-centered approach that builds connections and establishes trust.
• Connect individuals with a variety of services and resources through a multidisciplinary, housing-first approach.
• Place people into housing, ensuring that they no longer seek shelter on Metro’s system.

Where to Find Us

Metro Homeless Outreach Teams are deployed across our bus and rail system. You can always spot them in their purple Metro Outreach vests. Say hello!