Since 2007, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has required local Continuums of Care (CoCs) to conduct an annual point-in-time (PIT) count of people experiencing homelessness. To assess its efforts in reducing homelessness, SCOPE (Safety, Cleaning, Ownership, Partnership, and Engagement) implemented a similar count of individuals experiencing homelessness on its system.
In January 2022, our count revealed a total of 562 individuals taking shelter on SEPTA’s system, including on vehicles and in stations. A similar count in February 2023 identified 363 individuals. These findings demonstrate that the SCOPE program successfully reduced the number of individuals seeking shelter within SEPTA’s systems by 35% in one year. In January 2024, a subsequent count showed another nearly 14% decrease in homelessness on the SEPTA system.
In addition to the annual homeless count, SCOPE tracks every interaction its outreach teams, which are deployed throughout the system, have with the vulnerable population. Monthly progress reports measure SCOPE’s impact by recording the number of engagements, referrals, resource distributions, and “warm hand-offs.”
| County | Unsheltered Count 2022 | Unsheltered Count 2023 | Unsheltered Count 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bucks | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chester | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Delaware | 95 | 41 | 47 |
| Montgomery | 19 | 16 | 21 |
| Philadelphia | 437 | 279 | 244 |
| Trenton TC | 11 | 26 | 2 |
| Totals | 562 | 363 | 314 |
SCOPE’s Progress, March 2024
13,830
Engagements
In which an individual was guided off SEPTA’s system and possibly into services.
675
Referrals
Where individuals were referred for mental health, drug or alcohol treatment, shelters, or other social services.
134
Warm Hand-Offs
In which SEPTA outreach teams physically connected a vulnerable individual with a social service provider.
14
Narcan Deployments
Narcan is a treatment that reverses an opioid overdose. With opioid overdoses on the rise in Philadelphia, this is essential work.
1,541 Smokers Stopped*
1,937* Number of Smokers Engaged
SEPTA strives to provide a smoke free ride for passengers. All individuals seen smoking are asked to stop for the duration they are on SEPTA property.