Operations Manager
Assistant Operations Manager
Safety Ambassador
The Ambassadors are instrumental in supporting the safety and cleanliness the Erie Downtown Partnership strives to provide downtown. By keeping our sidewalks clear of snow, maintaining our parks, addressing or reporting safety concerns, setting up events, and assisting patrons, the Ambassadors help foster an environment where residents can thrive, and guests want to visit.
WHY AMBASSADORS WORK
Hundreds of communities across Pennsylvania and the nation employ an Ambassador model to supplement local government place management activities. These programs have proven to alleviate quality of life issues such as crime, panhandling and loitering, assisting unhoused or vulnerable individuals, as well as preventing blight and deterioration of the built environment.
Ambassadors are an effective tool in elevating the standard of care by providing multiple place management services centered on cleanliness and safety. They know the downtown area, its stakeholders, and its regular patrons, making the Ambassadors a vital resource in strategically serving the commercial core.
The program serves businesses and residents directly. In 2023 our downtown Ambassadors:
- Watered, mulched, and maintained the flowers of Perry Square
- Assisted 15 special events and partner projects
- Addressed 59 visitor assistance requests
- Addressed 133 direct business service requests
- Provided 224 homeless wellness checks
- Shoveled snow from a total of 2,300 blocks
- Cleaned and power washed a total 17,900 city blocks
- Removed 84,000 pounds of litter and debris
AMBASSADOR SHIFTS
While a typical shift for Ambassadors is 6 AM to 2PM Monday through Friday, they regularly assist with additional projects that serve the Partnership’s mission. Whether it is addressing the needs of downtown stakeholders, clearing snow from sidewalks at 3 AM, or helping set up events, the Ambassadors work to support the wellbeing of our downtown and its patrons.
SAFETY
Ambassadors also identify existing and potential concerns for early intervention or reporting. The team provides a visible, uniformed, unarmed presence to assist by:
- De-escalating and deterring conflict
- Redirecting loiterers from businesses and amenities
- Reporting hazardous infrastructure
- Clearing snow from sidewalks in the winter
The Ambassadors promote social inclusion and foster understanding by building rapport with unhoused community members and getting to know them personally. Ambassadors are also trained to interact with unhoused individuals in a dignified manner when providing basic wellness checks or connecting those in crisis to resources.
Our Ambassadors do not replace the vital services provided by social service organizations, but rather supplement these efforts, allowing us to gather important data to support social service providers in effectively assisting our downtown homeless population.
HOSPITALITY
Ambassadors are assigned specific routes where they observe and intervene to ensure standards of care and cleanliness of the downtown district are met. They beautify the downtown district and address early threats of blight through services such as:
- Litter and debris cleanup
- Graffiti removal
- Vandalism reports
- Tree maintenance
- Power washing buildings and sidewalks
- Weeding, mulching, and watering the flowering gardens in Perry Square
Event set-up and support is also a crucial service of the program, as the Erie Downtown Partnership offers numerous events ranging from wellness programs to festivals with live entertainment. The Ambassadors play an important role in bringing such events to fruition, as well as supporting visitors by escorting them to businesses or venues, or providing information, directions, and recommendations.
PROGRAM FUNDING
An annual tax billed to commercial property owners in the Downtown Improvement District funds the current Ambassador program and the services they provide. Downtown partners including Erie Insurance, City of Erie, UPMC Hamot, Gannon University, Erie Parking Authority, and Erie Events contribute to the program and the overall mission of the Erie Downtown Partnership.
Grants from the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority, Penelec, and the PA Department of Community and Economic Development also help fund the program’s equipment and resource needs.
If you would like to help the Erie Downtown Partnership advance our mission through programs like the Ambassador program, please consider donating to our Future Fund to help create a safe, fun, and welcoming downtown for all.
With support from the private and public sector, we can co-create a program that addresses the urgent needs of the business community while also continuously improving the downtown environment for all who live, work, and visit our downtown.
WANT TO BE AN AMBASSADOR?
