Expand universal transportation, care coordination, and housing upon release from custody

Lead agency: Sheriff’s Office, Health and Human Services Agency, Office of Homeless Solutions

Population of focus: Individuals released from County detention and reentry facilities, at the point of and after release. 

SIM Intercept: 2-3, 4-5

Summary of planned action:

Implement universal transit passes at all detention and reentry facilities by fall of 2025.   Create outreach and communication materials aimed at helping individuals access transportation, care coordination and housing services to ensure effectiveness and adjust as needed. Procure and launch the Resource and Reentry Hub with a request for providers to offer transportation from County jails. Redesign and reprocure existing care coordination and housing services and launch by mid-2026. Pilot new outreach efforts with current “ATI Community Care Coordination” program provider to expand access to services for individuals released from jail. This pilot component will focus on accommodating voluntary self-referrals through contractor presence at or near selected detention facilities to engage individuals with no service connection at release. The plan includes expanding access to transit and other transportation options. Prior to this action, 18,000 San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Regional Day passes were allocated across all facilities. The program will increase distribution by an additional 30,600 passes, expanding transit access to everyone released from San Diego County detention and reentry facilities.  

Actions taken:

  • Recognizing the importance of communication upon release for arranging transportation and support, this action also aims to increase communication access upon release.  Many incarcerated individuals have their cell phones stored with their personal property during incarceration and receive them back uncharged upon release. To address this, the Sheriff’s Office has installed phone charging stations in the public lobbies of detention and reentry facilities. Installation began in March 2025 and was completed in May. These wall-mounted or tabletop stations are equipped with Lightning and USB-C charging cables for convenient charging upon release.  

  • The Sheriff's Office updated internal forms and procedures to begin offering universal transportation to all incarcerated persons releasing from detention and reentry facilities on August 11, 2025. Since implementation through September 30, 2025, 4,367 individuals were provided bus passes (MTS PRONTO cards with a day pass fare) and 727 individuals released from a facility without nearby public transit available were also provided with taxi transportation to the Trolley station.  

  • The Sheriff’s Office collaborated with the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) to design tailored handouts and posters for each County detention facility, with maps of nearest transit stops and instructions for using the PRONTO pass. The Sheriff’s Office received MTS’s finalized digital materials in December in English and Spanish versions and began distributing handouts and posting the materials in January 2026. 

  • In December, a peer staff member from a community-based program completed the clearance process so agency staff can begin testing direct outreach to clients leaving Central Jail as a method to engage disconnected individuals the program could benefit. 

Next steps: 

  • Continue to track use of bus passes.

  • Collaborative partners will work with the Sheriff’s Office to leverage universal bus pass availability and transit information to develop additional pathways from jail to reentry services accessible by transit or facilitated by a peer providing outreach as people leave jail.