Los Angeles Metro recently announced that the number of people experiencing homelessness across its transit system has fallen 57% since 2024, attributing the improvement to an integrated public safety strategy that combines care-based services with law enforcement, security, and partnerships with local housing and social service agencies.

According to LA Metro's 2026 point-in-time count, an estimated 395 to 517 people were experiencing homelessness on the system, down from 631 to 684 in 2025 and 1,041 to 1,092 in 2024. The latest count also represents a 31% year-over-year decline from 2025. The agency reports the results as a range to account for statistical margins of error.

The findings reinforce a strategy that many transit agencies are beginning to explore. That is, pairing traditional security and law enforcement with dedicated care-based teams focused on outreach, crisis intervention, and connections to housing and behavioral health services.

In early 2026, LA Metro formally launched its Care-Based Services Division, consolidating its Metro Ambassadors, Homeless Outreach Management and Engagement (HOME) program, and Community Intervention Specialists within the Department of Public Safety.

The goal of this division is to improve coordination between care-based personnel and security staff while ensuring individuals experiencing homelessness are connected to appropriate services rather than relying solely on enforcement responses.

"This continued decline reflects the dedication of Metro employees and our many partners who work every day to address homelessness with compassion, accountability and coordination," LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said in a statement. "Creating the Care-Based Services Division reinforced our belief that public safety is strongest when care-based services and enforcement work together."

Are Care-Based Services Becoming a Key Part of Transit Safety?

The agency said its outreach efforts are supported through partnerships with the Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services & Housing, the City and County of Los Angeles, and community-based organizations that provide outreach, interim housing, permanent housing placement, and supportive services. During fiscal year 2026, outreach teams connected 354 individuals to permanent housing.

Since this public safety strategy began to be implemented over the past two years, LA Metro reported a decline in violent crime and societal crimes in February, alongside improvements in customer satisfaction, crediting its layered approach of ambassadors, security personnel, law enforcement, fare enforcement, and care-based services.

The latest numbers in care-based services also align with a broader industry adoption that we examined earlier this year. In June, we interviewed transit leaders from Los Angeles Metro, Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) in North Carolina, and WeGo Transit in Tennessee, who described moving beyond enforcement-only approaches by creating specialized teams focused on behavioral health, homelessness, and customer assistance.

Rather than replacing law enforcement, agencies said care-based programs allow the "right response" for non-criminal situations while helping improve rider confidence and operational efficiency.

LA Metro's point-in-time count was conducted January 20, 2026, as part of the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count led by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). Sixty-two volunteers, including LA Metro employees, outreach workers, and riders, surveyed the rail and busway system using the same methodology employed in the countywide count and aligned with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development standards.

While the agency's transit-specific results are not included in LAHSA's regional homelessness totals, the agency says they provide an important measure of conditions across the transit network.