In recent years, Oak Park residents and Green Line commuters have increasingly complained of transit-related grievances including harassment and illicit drug use on train cars and vagrancy around the vicinity of stations. There has also been a noticeable uptick in unhoused individuals utilizing train cars for overnight and weekend shelter.
In a bid to expand public safety and make public transit more welcoming to passengers, reduce crime and support individuals in need, the Chicago Transit Authority this fall launched a new initiative: Crisis Intervention Safe Ride Specialist Program is a pilot safety initiative created to assist with defusing passenger issues and assisting riders in need.
The program is assisted by two local agencies: Maywood-based Housing Forward and Oak Park’s Thrive Counseling Center. The agencies train and deploy volunteers to aid riders experiencing homelessness, substance abuse disorder and mental health issues.
The CTA program is a $9 million, year-long initiative designed to complement the agency’s recent drive to improve security and police presence on trains and buses by helping passengers in need of shelter or healthcare and by providing resources for crisis and community violence intervention. The focus is on the CTA’s Red, Blue and Green Lines.
Safe Ride Specialists are out on the Green Line on Mondays through Fridays from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., and meet before and after their train shifts to prep, debrief, case conference and report on outcomes.
Nora Leerhsen, interim president of the CTA, said the goal of the Safe Ride Specialist Program is to expand safety for all public transit riders.
“The increased presence of both police officers and trained crisis intervention specialists across the system is critical to our ability to continue to reduce crime and support riders in need on CTA,” she said.
Since the end of October, Safe Ride Specialists have teamed up for the non-law enforcement approach to address situations impacting safety and consumer satisfaction across the transit system to help maintain a safe, welcoming and respectful transit environment for everyone.
In Oak Park specifically, Safe Ride Specialists have been deployed throughout the village’s Green Line stops, which starts and ends at Harlem Avenue and Lake Street and includes stops at Oak Park Avenue, Ridgeland Avenue and Austin Boulevard. The specialists are equipped with training for de-escalation and trauma-informed care and carry hygiene and care bags including Narcan, the emergency medication used to rapidly reverse a life-threatening opioid overdose.
Outreach efforts also help direct people in need to crisis centers or shelters near the CTA to connect passengers interested in going there, providing access to mental health clinicians, peer support specialists, crisis intervention specialists and community violence intervention experts along the train’s route.
The two local agencies assisting with the program praised the effort.
Lynda Schueler, CEO of Housing Forward, said participation in the program is an effective way for the agency to follow its mission of helping end homelessness in west suburban Cook County.
“CTA trains offer an important opportunity to connect with people experiencing homelessness and help them access services and a path toward stability,” Schueler said. “We look forward to partnering with the CTA and bringing nearly 15 years of outreach experience to such an important project.”
In addition to its work along the Green Line, Housing Forward is also collaborating with other service providers and community partners at the CTA’s Forest Park Blue Line station on Thursday evenings from 7 to 11 p.m.
Elaine Phillips, assistant director of Crisis Services at Thrive, said the CTA initiative and local partnership opportunity will help Thrive in its principal objective of prioritizing access to care.
“The CTA Safe Ride pilot brings Thrive Counseling Center’s mental health professionals directly to individuals who may be experiencing a crisis or in need of resources,” she said. “By meeting people where they are, we can offer immediate support, connect them with ongoing services and help remove some of the barriers that prevent individuals from getting the care they need.”
Maria Salinas, a street outreach manager at Housing Forward and Safe Ride Specialist, said that while this specific initiative may be new, it’s not the first time Housing Forward has worked to make an impact in the lives of people approached along Oak Park transit stops.
“In 2025, our Street Outreach Program connected with more than 430 people experiencing homelessness in west suburban Cook County,” she said. “Even before Safe Ride, our team visited the Oak Park Metra station two to three times a week, spending several hours each visit building relationships and connecting with people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Our staff provides basic necessities, including food, water and hygiene supplies, and works to connect individuals with case management, supportive services and housing resources.”
Though no solution to public safety has a one-size-fits-all approach, Salinas echoed Phillips in saying the program’s primary objective is engaging with individuals to offer critical services to help stabilize situations.
“Many agencies in the western suburbs have never done this type of outreach,” she said. “This program allows us to meet people where they are, connecting vulnerable individuals with resources they may not know are available to them. Public transportation is integral to thriving communities, and everyone deserves to feel safe when using it — Safe Ride Specialists will help make that possible for all riders.”
For Thrive crisis therapist Ryan Ricks, volunteering with the Safe Ride Specialist Program has been productive.
“We talked to several people during my first night on the trains and were able to connect one to shelter,” Ricks said. “For the others we spoke to, we shared food and provided information about other services, like behavioral healthcare and substance use programs.”
Rick added that while Oak Park is an area which has great community resources, there are many people across the area who are unaware of the various types of free and professional assistance available in the areas including housing, addiction, domestic violence and hunger.
“Although Oak Park has many great resources for the community, most people aren’t aware of most of them, so this program is really great for spreading awareness and connecting people to the resources they’re looking for,” Ricks said. “In my experience, [the CTA program] has already shown where some gaps in those resources may be.”