2014年5月, 当区域运输区(RTD)重新开放丹佛联合车站，以供运输使用，经过大规模的翻新, 这个历史遗址成为了该机构系统的中心枢纽——将所有的旅行方式集中在一个地方，并为客户提供跨机构服务的连接. 圆滑, sunlit underground bus concourse called to mind an airport terminal, with vehicles departing every 48 seconds in those initial days. Union Station became a destination for locals and visitors alike, 最初的4.84亿美元投资刺激了丹佛市中心数十亿美元的经济发展.

然后, 随着全球流行病的到来, commuter patterns changed – and so did this once-vibrant transit hub. 由于每天有数以万计的人通过该空间，导致大量个人涌入该空间, 他们中的许多人都无家可归, 还有精神疾病, 成瘾问题或两者兼而有之. 整个丹佛地区, 领导人, 企业, 邻居和RTD的客户正直直地看着代理商，问我们正在做些什么.

Houselessness in metro Denver is not a new issue; it has affected communities in the region of all sizes for generations. 此外, houselessness is a pervasive concern whether a city has one or 1,000名无家可归的居民. 为无家可归的人提供解决方案的话题已经成为APTA越来越多的议程, enabling discussion about realities and best practices. I know my transit peers are grappling with the same issues across the country.

在很多情况下, 无家可归的人倾向于过境，因为他们觉得在车辆和财产上比在街上更安全. 而我们作为公共交通供应商的目的是尽我们最大的能力为我们的客户服务, I believe we also carry a responsibility to address complex, 像这样的社会问题, 不可否认, 单靠RTD解决不了问题. That said, we can be a strong community partner by focusing on the piece that we can control.

Recognizing that every city is different, I also see commonalities in the considerations we bring to this issue. 我分享以下建议，以促进其他地区的对话和新发现:

与他人合作. This is the most important piece of advice I can offer; it is where all meaningful work begins. 走进城市, houseless outreach providers and service-based organizations, 告诉他们你想参与进来. 公共交通经过的城市都遇到了与无家可归和心理健康有关的问题, and groups everywhere are working to find viable approaches as they make decisions. Transit needs to have a seat at those tables – and our perspectives are eagerly welcomed. 举个例子:2020年4月, an emergency shelter for unhoused individuals opened at the Denver Coliseum, RTD通常只在每年一度的全国西部股票展(National Western Stock Show)期间引导更多的巴士前往这个目的地. Because the agency had been part of the conversation around this change, 我们在这条路线上放置了更频繁运行的大型车辆，并增加了街道监督员，以确保我们的车辆保持社交距离.

Enlist the help of mental health clinicians. 2015年加入RTD后, 当时的副警长史蒂夫·马丁加诺(Steve Martingano)知道丹佛市和县已经开始了一项联合响应计划，该计划将一名警官和一名心理健康临床医生配对，以协调服务和支持经历心理健康事件的人. Believing that RTD would benefit from a similar approach, 他在2017年联系了丹佛心理健康中心，安排了一个类似的共同响应单位, the first among public transportation agencies in the country. 为了跟上高需求, the team grew a year later to include four clinicians, 这些人对RTD有效监管其系统的方法做出了重大贡献. The team’s members show their value through the contacts they make, a value that can and cannot be quantified. 我鼓励其他机构尝试这种方法，以确定是否值得投资.

研究有哪些可用的资源. 由于经常在联合车站逗留的人的存在所带来的挑战，导致2019年成立了一个无家可归者外展小组，其中包括机构工作人员和当地外展组织. 随着人们对无家可归问题的关注越来越多——数据显示，无家可归的人占RTD心理健康接触的70%以上——马丁加诺和他的同事们认为，RTD也需要一位专门从事无家可归问题外展的协调员. In 2020, 该机构获得了180美元,000 Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) grant from the U.S. Department of 运输 that allowed RTD to budget for such a position. 当机构申请这笔拨款时, those involved were not sure whether the federal government would award it for this purpose. 资金可用. I encourage you to go after it and see what happens.

Be honest about the issues your system is experiencing. I meet often with 领导人 across the Denver metro region. I tell them what resources RTD can and will devote to the problems we face, and I ask for help. As mentioned previously, we cannot enact impactful change alone. As transit 领导人 everywhere face the challenges of changing travel patterns, I know that it can be unsettling to acknowledge that the current reality is not pretty. It also could not be more crucial to speak about challenges just as they are. Honesty can bring new opportunities for funding, new potential for partnerships and new perspectives to address challenges.

Consider changing your policing structure. RTD in April 2022 restructured its forces into four patrol-specific impact teams, 专注于公交车, 铁路, 社区参与, 以及心理健康和无家可归者服务. Whereas the prior model was very reactive, reorganizing agency resources in this manner allows teams to be more proactive, 可见和参与. 进一步, 它可以更好地决定在哪里部署员工，以阻止犯罪活动，并为客户提供服务.

沟通你所做的改变. Through collaboration with the city and county of Denver, the Denver Police Department and local 领导人, RTD已经开始在联合车站实施一系列的设施改进，以解决不受欢迎的行为，最终将建立一个付费区. These changes collectively will cost between $10 million and $15 million. Recognizing that the public deserves to know about all that is happening in this space, RTD已经推出了一个 网页 that will be updated frequently with details about specific enhancements as changes are made. 该页面包括公众注册获取信息和提交问题或反馈的机制. It also includes links to related resources, such as RTD’s Transit Watch app.

加入一个工作小组，向同事学习. 警务理念在不断转变, 他们认识到，坚定的同情可能比执法和监禁更有效. 我相信机构可以收回他们的空间用于交通，同时向个人表明他们关心他们的福祉. 与同行交流经验是思考如何做到这一点的好方法. When RTD began discussing its approach to vulnerable populations a year and a half ago, 三家机构参与. 这个组织已经扩大到包括来自美国各地的20多家大小不一的机构.

我鼓励你们在前进的过程中继续倾听社区的声音——他们会告诉你们需要知道的事情, and the best solutions will be formulated together.

This piece was previously published in the June 6 edition of Passenger Transport magazine, 由美国公众出版 运输 协会.