Pricey MTA Homeless Outreach Program Saw Little Success: Study

NEW YORK CITY — The MTA spent millions of dollars on an effort that failed to move homeless people out of the subway system and connect them to social services, according to a new watchdog group's report.

The $5 million campaign to transition unsheltered New Yorkers from subways to shelters did little to decrease homelessness or prevent related train delays, according to an analysis from MTA Inspector General Carolyn Pokorny's office.

"Most of what is needed to move homeless people out of the subway system and into more appropriate settings is outside the MTA’s control and mission," the report states.

"The MTA is not a social services agency. It is a transportation agency – and one that is facing a
critical point in its history."

The 10-member teams of MTA police and Bowery Residents' Committee social workers sent into subways at night to lure homeless riders out of the system saw little success but earned about $.26 million in overtime, according to the report.

"The homeless individuals, for the most part, did not leave the trains or accept services," analysts wrote. "On the nights OIG staff observed the program, dozens of apparently homeless individuals stayed on the trains for every 1 that accepted services."

Delays and complaints related to homeless riders both increased in February 2020 when the MTA received 550 complaints and saw about 2,500 minutes in related delays.

The MTA's response, documented in the analysis, was to stand firm on which responsibilities belonged to a transit system and which did not.

"To be clear, we do not believe that tracking the population of individuals who are successfully (or unsuccessfully) diverted away from the MTA system is our responsibility or an appropriate use of MTA resources," the agency replied.

"While we are interested in doing all we can to understand and improve our partners’ rates of success in getting homeless individuals to accept services, our priority must remain on our own system.”