5 takeaways from SEPTA’s safety plan

SEPTA has laid out a new plan to address one of its biggest challenges: helping the hundreds of people experiencing homelessness who take shelter in SEPTA vehicles and facilities.

According to SEPTA, the number of people seeking shelter in its facilities surged during the pandemic and the agency has struggled to help vulnerable populations.

At the same time, the agency aims to make the system safe for riders and staff as it tries to regain passengers after a pandemic slump and following some high-profile crimes at stations.

In a new plan that expands on an effort launched last year, the agency detailed how it’s building on a variety of partnerships and initiatives to address issues on its Philadelphia lines and suburban hubs.

Homelessness, smoking, and cleanliness are the top complaints riders and employees make to SEPTA, the agency reported. The complaints track with agency estimates that place hundreds of people experiencing homelessness seeking shelter on SEPTA vehicles or in stations.

The Market-Frankford Line’s 13th Street and 15th Street Stations accounted for more than half of the customer-reported concerns involving people experiencing homelessness, though complaints spanned the Center City Regional Rail hubs and the suburban stations.

The transit system is not designed to be a shelter, explained SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch. What’s more, SEPTA notes people struggling with mental health issues or drug use are falling on the tracks “almost daily,” risking death and bringing about service disruptions.

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While SEPTA sees policing as a way to address crime, the agency acknowledges that its Transit Police force is already stretched thin, and others are better equipped to deal with vulnerable populations. The agency’s safety plan leans on hiring specialists dedicated to connecting people with housing, mental health, and drug treatment.

Already, the number of social services outreach specialists SEPTA has hired from outside firms has increased from seven to almost 30 this year, with plans for a staff of 50. In a similar vein, the agency is doubling the two teams created in a 2020 pilot that paired a transit police officer and a social worker.

Universities are key partners, too. Cabrini University health and exercise sciences students have been volunteering to help connect those in need with social services at Norristown Transportation Center, and that program will be expanding. A similar six-month “health navigators program” is slated for the 69th Street Transportation Center, working with first-year students from the Drexel University College of Medicine.

The hope is people who might not be inclined to interact with police officers may be more open to receiving help from these outreach workers, Busch said.

The agency’s approach includes the creation of a Virtual Patrol Center where staff will monitor the system’s 28,000 cameras and increase police presence on trains and other areas. For example, riders can expect an increase in undercover surveillance at the 15th Street Station, as well as the Frankford and Norristown Transportation Centers in SEPTA’s effort to combat drug sales.

The agency plans to deploy close to 90 unarmed security guards who will move through its trains and stations to complement SEPTA’s more than 200 transit police. These guards will work as the “eyes and ears” of the agency, though they have no arrest powers.

At the Somerset Station, which was closed for two weeks last year because urine and drug paraphernalia damaged elevators, attendants will now be tasked to monitor the two elevators.

The agency said it’s almost tripled its budget for maintenance custodians to the tune of $14.8 million. More attention will be paid to bathrooms at Suburban Station, 69th Street Terminal, and Norristown Transportation Center.

Riders can expect an increase in weekend power-washes of subway stations.

Stations, where cleanliness is an issue, will get additional help. For example, the 34th Street Market-Frankford Line station will have a “quick response team” and stations in Kensington will get an assist in clearing trash and debris from a program that helps organize community cleanups.

In its plan, SEPTA describes being overwhelmed in attempts to connect those experiencing homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness to help.

The agency describes a shortage of beds at drug and alcohol treatment centers, a shortage of support for those involuntarily committed to these services, and a demand that outpaces the supply of emergency shelters and other services.

In addition to asking riders to treat vulnerable populations they encounter with dignity and letting the agency know when someone is in crisis, SEPTA wants riders to lobby lawmakers for more low-income housing, shelters, and funding for programs that address homelessness.