People experiencing homelessness have been increasingly seeking shelter at airports due to a significant increase in homelessness and airports’ relative safety, transit accessibility, climate-controlled shelter, and access to food and amenities. TRB hosted a webinar on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM Eastern that explored effective strategies and recommended practices to foster collaboration between airports and local communities, ensuring the welfare of individuals experiencing homelessness while safeguarding the operational efficiency and security of airport operations. Presenters discussed a primer and strategic action plan for airport communities.

This webinar was based on ACRP Research Report 254: Strategies to Address Homelessness at Airports.

This webinar was sponsored by TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program.

The slides are linked in the meeting materials. View the recorded webinar below.

Webinar agenda and presenters

1. Overview of homelessness at airports – Samantha Batko, Urban Institute

2. Strategies to address – Wendy Reiter, Port of Seattle

3. Question and answer session moderated by Juliana Urrego, The Cadmus Group

The first 60 minutes of the webinar were for presentations and the final 30 minutes were reserved for audience questions.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, participants can:

1. Gain insights into the extent and nature of homelessness at airports, including factors contributing to this issue and its impacts on both individuals experiencing homelessness and airport operations

2. Use effective collaborative strategies and best practices that promote partnerships between airports, local communities, service providers, and advocacy groups to address homelessness in a comprehensive and humane manner

American Institute of Certified Planners Certification Maintenance Credits

This webinar was approved by the American Planning Association (APA) for 1.5 Certification Maintenance (CM) Credits. CM credits provide continuing education opportunities for AICP Certified Planners to continue their professional skills and knowledge. To receive CM credits, Certified Planners should visit the TRB event webpage on American Planning Association and register their participation. If you have problems reporting your CM credits or have general questions about the CM program, please contact the APA.

Continuing Education Units for Accredited Airport Executives

The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) provided 1 Continuing Education Units (CEU) to accredited airport executives who attended this webinar. Claim CEUs by visiting www.aaae.org/ceu. For questions about AAAE continuing education units, please contact accreditation@aaae.org.