Los Angeles County officials and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are looking to partner up to provide outreach to the growing number of homeless using Metro stations, trains and busses for shelter.
The County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a motion by Supervisor Janice Hahn that calls on the County and Metro to discuss ways of helping the unhoused individuals who frequent public transportation and often set up camp at the end of the line when service hours come to an end.
Several of these end-of-the-line cities, including Long Beach, Azusa, Santa Monica, and in downtown Los Angeles and North Hollywood, are complaining about the number of people congregating during the early morning hours, Hahn was reported as saying in the Los Angeles Daily News.
One plan is to consider developing “navigation hubs” within the Metro system where the homeless can be connected with social services to find shelter instead of setting up camps, the newspaper reported.
Another proposition is to sign up unhoused individuals for shelter beds during the winter months, according to the Daily News.
Some Metro riders are skeptical the new plan will fix the situation.
“I think the homeless problem has gotten far too out of control. At this point I don’t know if it can even be fixed … To be honest at this point I’m not too optimistic about it,” San Fernando Valley resident Brian James told KTLA.
The motion calls for progress updates after 90 days and 6 months.