Partner with us!
Through the Transit Service Intervention Project, up to $2 million in funding is available to groups that connect people to services. Funding can go toward staffing and related expenses through June 2024. Declarations of interest were due Friday, July 7. An evaluation panel is assessing submissions prior to Met Council action in July.
As trains pulled into Target Field Station on Thursday, a small crowd of social service workers and officers from the Metro Transit Police Department’s Homeless Action Team (HAT) were there to extend a hand to those interested in hearing about resources that could help them on their way.
It was the first of at least a dozen such outreach events that will be held over the next several weeks, part of a new coordinated effort to point people to social services and other support through what is known as the Transit Service Intervention Project.
The project is supported by $2 million in state funding that will go to contracted service providers and was included in the Transportation Omnibus bill signed by Gov. Tim Walz. A request for proposals will be issued next week.
While bids are under review, state, local and non-profit partners will help staff events at the Target Field, Lake Street/Midtown, Mall of America, Central and Union Depot stations.
“Metro Transit is part of the communities we serve, and many of the challenges facing our region, such as homelessness and addiction, become visible on our transit system,” said Lesley Kandaras, Metro Transit’s interim general manager. “The Transit Service Intervention Project will bring together partners who can join us in meaningfully addressing challenges that are bigger than a transit agency alone can solve.”
HAT officers for years have worked alongside partners to help people in need. As familiar and trusted allies, the officers bring individuals to shelters and help address other immediate needs. HAT officers have also helped place more than 200 families in stable, long-term housing through referrals to the Met Council’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA).
“Our HAT team has done a commendable job building trusting relationships with people who turn to transit when they feel they have nowhere else to go,” Metro Transit Police Chief Ernest Morales III said. “Elevating and building on that work will not only provide immediate help but allow all of us to find new ways of working with our partners on an ongoing basis.”
Rising to the occasion
The transportation bill also permits Metro Transit to create an alternative to police-issued misdemeanor citations for fare non-compliance. Through a new program, non-police personnel could issue administrative citations handled outside of the courts. The program will launch after policies and procedures are finalized by the Met Council this year.
The legislation also requires cleaning standards to be adopted and for an updated Code of Conduct to be brought to the Met Council for its endorsement. Future investments in public safety can be supported through a metro-area sales tax that will take effect this fall. The tax is expected to bring in more than $300 million in fiscal year 2024, most of which would go toward transit operations and maintenance.
“The state has made an historic investment in transit, and in doing so has made it clear that it is really incumbent on us to operate a system that is clean, safe and welcoming to all,” Council Chair Charlie Zelle said. “We are eager to rise to the occasion.”
Work already underway
Nearly a year ago, the Met Council endorsed Metro Transit’s Safety & Security Action Plan, which identifies 40 actions being taken to improve conditions, support employees and build stronger partnerships. All the actions in the plan are now advancing. Notable recent examples include:
- The use of supplemental security. Under a new contract, security officers are now working around-the-clock at the Lake Street/Midtown and Franklin Avenue stations. Security will be brought to additional sites with high calls for service in the future.
- Continued facility improvements. At the Lake Street/Midtown Station, work to repair elevators and escalators, install anti-graffiti wallpaper and do a deep clean will begin in mid-July. Public art is being installed this month at the I-35W & Lake Street Station, one of several locations where it’s being used to deter costly property damage.
- The expanded use of real-time cameras. Cameras from light rail vehicles and stations are now being monitored throughout the day, every day, and efforts to provide access to live on-board bus footage are underway.
Recruitment efforts continue
An underlying theme of the Safety & Security Action Plan is having a stronger official presence on transit.
While short around 60 full-time police officers, police officers and Community Service Officers (CSOs) are spending as much time as possible on transit. Metro Transit police officers, as well as law enforcement partners, will be spending more time on transit over the coming months.
Efforts to hire more police officers and CSOs are ongoing. Starting wages were increased in late-2022 and CSOs are now eligible for up to $18,000 in tuition reimbursement.
Learn more about working at the Metro Transit Police Department
View a public safety fact sheet