Pittsburgh City Council gives preliminary approval to $600K in funding for Downtown ambassador program

Pittsburgh City Council gave preliminary approval Wednesday to provide $600,000 in funding to support a nonprofit’s Downtown ambassador program.

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s Golden Triangle Ambassador program already employs 11 full-time staff members. They will provide a variety of services in the Downtown area, including connecting people with mental health services and helping tourists navigate the area.

The idea is to “supplement our (police) officers” by addressing needs that don’t require armed police and to be the first step in connecting people to experts and resources, said Lisa Frank, the city’s chief administrative and operating officer.

“It is a matter of more boots on the ground, more people out there,” Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said.

Having civilian ambassadors who can handle smaller matters will free up police to focus more on crime reduction and other priorities, Schmidt said. The ambassadors will coordinate with police and outreach workers in instances where there’s a problem beyond what an ambassador can resolve.

Frank said the ambassadors will perform “a soft patrol” and be trained in de-escalation techniques. They’ll be tasked with duties such as breaking up fights, urging people to stop inappropriate behaviors and keeping an eye out for potential problems.

They also will be available to help visitors with directions, parking, public transit and finding local businesses.

“This is an additional resource for all of our public safety folks as well as the residents,” Schmidt said.

Related:

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• Pittsburgh officials partner with nonprofits to make Downtown cleaner, safer

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership already launched a fundraising campaign to help fund the ambassador program, Frank said. The nonprofit will provide a matching $600,000 this year and already has funds earmarked for continuing the initiative in future years.

Ambassadors are paid a “living wage” and all are members of the SEIU union and get health benefits, Frank said. There will be ongoing training opportunities, as well as leadership development and employee coaching elements.

There are currently eight ambassadors and 11 total staff, including dispatchers, but officials said they’re hoping to grow the program with additional staffing. If it proves successful Downtown, it could later be expanded to other parts of the city, Schmidt said.

The ambassadors are slated to be in the Downtown area from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, according to the partnership.

Data from the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership showed that activity in Downtown is on the rise after the pandemic closed Downtown offices and brought entertainment and restaurant industries to a halt.

The average daily activity — which counts activity among residents, employees and visitors — is still down 36% from March 2019, but it’s up from prior pandemic years, according to the partnership. In March, the partnership estimated that nearly 89,700 people were in Downtown daily, up from more than 81,000 in March 2022 and fewer than 50,000 in March 2021.

The Downtown office occupancy rate hovered around 22% in March, up from 11% in September 2020, the nonprofit said.