The program, called Reach, launched this week under the SEPTA Transit Police Department through a one-year agreement with Citizens Acting Together Can Help, Inc., a Philadelphia-based social services provider. Reach operates as a division of the transit police, and its specialists will work alongside officers rather than as a separate civilian unit.

Under the program, Reach teams will patrol SEPTA stations and vehicles to engage with people experiencing homelessness, addiction or mental health challenges, offering them transportation to service providers. Those who decline assistance will be asked to leave the system, according to the agency.

SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer framed the effort as a way to improve conditions for everyone who uses the system.

"By helping connect vulnerable individuals to services and support, SEPTA is working to build a safer, more welcoming environment for everyone who relies on our system," Sauer said in a statement.

The launch comes as transit agencies across the country grapple with how to respond to people in crisis on their systems, balancing public safety concerns against the needs of unhoused and struggling riders. SEPTA has faced persistent complaints about safety and cleanliness on its trains and in its stations, and the agency has increasingly leaned on police-led responses.

Critics of police-centered outreach models have argued that social workers embedded within law enforcement can deter some people from accepting help, and that the threat of removal from the system may push vulnerable individuals away from services rather than toward them. The agency did not say how many specialists will be deployed or how the program's outcomes will be measured during the one-year term.

Riders can report safety concerns and quality-of-life issues anonymously through the SEPTA app or by calling Transit Police at (215) 580-8111.