Unhoused on the Move: Impact of COVID-19 on Homelessness in Transit Environments

More than half a million individuals experience homelessness every single night in the United States. The limited capacity of shelters to meet their needs is forcing many to turn to transit vehicles, bus stops, and transit stations for shelter. The pandemic only exacerbated the homelessness crisis. Fear of infection in shelters and reduced capacity due to physical distancing requirements drove more unhoused people to take shelter on the streets and also in transit settings. Although discussions in the popular media have raised awareness of homelessness in transit environments, the scale of the problem has not been well-documented in scholarly research. This chapter investigates the intersection of the pandemic, transit, and homelessness in U.S. cities, presenting the results of a survey of 115 transit operators on issues of homelessness on their systems, both before and during the coronavirus pandemic. We find that homelessness is broadly present across transit systems though mostly concentrated on larger transit systems and central hotspots, and it has worsened during the pandemic. The challenges of homelessness are deepening, and dedicated funding and staff are rare. Attempting to respond to the needs of homeless riders, some agencies have put forth innovative responses, including hubs of services, mobile outreach, discounted fares, and transportation to shelters.