ARPA Funds Help Bring Street Ambassadors Program to Downtown E.C.
This article was originally shared on VolumeOne
By McKenna Scherer | February 28, 2025
Beginning March 1, program staff will assist homeless individuals find available services, keep public areas clean, more in downtown Eau Claire.
Thanks to one-time funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the City of Eau Claire will launch its Street Ambassadors program this spring. Easily identified, uniformed staff will be seen working downtown beginning Saturday, March 1.
Last fall, City Council narrowed down a number of proposals for the new program, and ultimately decided to contract with Block by Block. The company got its start in downtown Louisville in 1995 and has since expanded to service communities nationwide, including neighboring cities like the Twin Cities, Rochester, and Milwaukee.
Block by Block offers services in five categories: Hospitality and Safety Services, Cleaning, Outreach, Landscaping and Grounds Maintenance, and Transit. In its custom plan for Eau Claire, it appears program staff will largely be working on safety, cleanliness, and customer service in the downtown area. This support could reduce the number of calls and requests currently handled by emergency services and other city departments.
Neighborhood Services Manager Billie Hufford said the program – which she saw in action during a visit to Milwaukee – will work to build relationships with all downtown stakeholders. “(The program’s staff) will engage with people experiencing homelessness to help ensure individual are aware of services, help clean public spaces, provide direction to residents and visitors as needed, and assist businesses when situations arise that are not necessarily ordinance violations,” she said.
There will be a team of four working as street Ambassadors, including Operations Manager and longtime local Stephney Brick. The Block by Block team said their training includes education around mental health and de-escalation, as well as basic cleaning services.
“Outcomes vary in program types,” the Block by Block team said, pointing to things like less trash being left in public spaces to assisting homeless individuals sign into a shelter, find a meal, or get to appointments.
While the city has contracted Block by Block for these services, Brick will be responsible for operational oversight and quality assurance, as described on the Block by Block website.
The program, funded through the end of 2026 through the allocated $200,000 in ARPA funds, will seek feedback in the future from businesses, residents, and visitors about how the program has impacted their experience in Downtown Eau Claire.
Learn more about Block by Block at blockbyblock.com. Learn more about the City of Eau Claire’s homelessness and housing efforts and more at www.eauclairewi/gov.