SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced today the expansion of the Downtown Ambassador Program into Salt Lake City’s North Temple neighborhood.

“North Temple has long been one of the most important streets in our City. It serves as a main street for the community that surrounds it, and the area features unique characteristics that draw people in,” Mayor Mendenhall said. “In investing time and resources in the area, I want North Temple’s business owners and residents to know that we hear you – we hear your calls for increased public safety, for economic investment, and for the resources necessary for this neighborhood to thrive through the years.”

The Downtown Ambassador Program, which is managed by the Downtown Alliance with City support, is a community-based public-safety resource that assists businesses, residents, visitors, workers and refers people experiencing homelessness to qualified service providers. The program was launched in 2018. 

The expansion will add six ambassadors to work specifically to serve North Temple Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

“The Street Ambassadors have done a fantastic job in the downtown central business district and we are confident that this extension of the street ambassadors services will help people in crisis get the services and shelter they need, support local businesses in the North Temple neighborhood and make the area safer for all residents and visitors,” said Dee Brewer, executive director of the Downtown Alliance.

In 2020, the Downtown Ambassadors performed 6,591 wellness checks on individuals in the downtown area, referred 1,448 individuals to shelter and services, responded 2,859 times to merchants who needed assistance and administered 184 doses of naloxone to prevent an overdose. 

This program expansion comes at a time when the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Pioneer Bike Squad has been seeing success in improving public safety in the area.

“We are excited to partner with the ambassadors in this area. We are going to do great work,” said Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown. “It’s going to be a great program, something that makes a difference in this community because it’s going to take all of us to make this community better.”

These announcements are a first step – and an important step – in the larger picture of the intent to equitably distribute resources throughout the city, and for North Temple to thrive. The ambassadors began their work in the North Temple area on April 1.

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