Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, interim dean of the Luskin School, spoke with UCLA Blueprint about her research into strategies that address the rising number of unhoused people seeking shelter within public transit systems. Nationwide, transit agencies are partnering with law enforcement, health departments, social workers and others to ensure the safety and comfort of all passengers while connecting homeless riders with services. But challenges abound, including a lack of funding, staffing and available housing, Loukaitou-Sideris has found. Her team has assessed a wide variety of programs, including discounted fares, rides to shelters and, in Philadelphia, an expansive facility for resources located in the region’s public transit hub. Loukaitou-Sideris’ goal is to help transit agencies learn from one another’s experiences. “You cannot resolve the problem overnight,” she said. “If instead of seeing the numbers going up and up and up, we start seeing a trend going down, down, down, then it’s a step in the right direction.”