Attachment C
Greenhouse Marketplace Area Safety Ambassador Program Goals and Metrics General Description
The San Leandro Greenhouse Marketplace Area Safety Ambassador Program will be administered by Block by Block California, a leading provider of security, cleaning, and customer service personnel, that has successfully operated a Safety Ambassador program in downtown San Leandro since 2020.
Block by Block California (BBB CA) will provide foot and bicycle patrol to deter unwanted behavior and activity while interacting with unsheltered people, merchants, residents, and visitors. In addition, they will address unwanted activities such as disruptive behavior, loitering, smoking, and drinking in public spaces as well as conduct wellness checks on our unsheltered neighbors and make referrals when appropriate.
They will engage with merchants to build positive relationships and improve quality of life in the Marketplace and be a resource to residents, visitors, and unsheltered people.
BBB CA Safety Ambassadors are trained in addressing non-emergency situations using de-escalation strategies, will report suspicious behavior or vehicles, and will observe and report criminal activities to the San Leandro Police Department (SLPD).
This is a one-year pilot program. Staffing levels and services may be adjusted to better address the needs of the Greenhouse Marketplace area. To help effectively achieve the overarching goals of the program, the scope and objectives may be amended from time-to-time based upon information and experience gathered during implementation.
Program Details
• The program will include 140 hours per week of Safety Ambassador patrols on foot and bicycle.
• Safety Ambassador deployment will consist of one 10-hour shift per day, seven days per week, from 12:20 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
• The program will include a full-time Operations Manager on site Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays from 12:20 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The Operations Manager will be an active part of the daily patrols and will also be responsible for administrative duties. There will be days when a Safety Ambassador may be on their own for 1-2 hours during the daytime/early hours of the shift, possibly longer depending on the situation.
• Staffing for the program will include 2.5 FTE Safety Ambassadors and 1 FTE Operations Manager (total of 3.5 FTEs).
• Annual costs total $319,737.59 and the approximate monthly billing amount is $26,644.80.
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Example weekly schedule for Greenhouse Marketplace Area Safety Ambassador Program:
Program Administration
The program will be administered Block by Block California with oversight from the City of San Leandro. The City of San Leandro will monitor the Safety Ambassadors training, publicize the services, communicate with appropriate City staff and partners about the services, and provide regular updates to City Council and staff regarding the program.
Goals, Objectives & Metrics
To measure the impact of the program, metrics will align with the goals and objectives described below and will be supported by SLPD incident statistics, BBB Safety Ambassador statistics, and a merchant/customer survey administered by BBB.
Goal (1) Engage with businesses and residents to build positive relationships, assist businesses and residents by providing a non-police response to “quality of life” issues, and offer a welcoming presence that deters unwanted behavior.
Goal 1 Objectives:
• Increase merchant knowledge of who to call for non-emergency, quality of life concerns.
• With increased outreach via coordinated education, additional signage, and inperson contact, increase the frequency that community members and merchants call the Safety Ambassador Helpline. SLPD is also exploring ways that dispatchers can help refer these incidents to Safety Ambassadors.
• Increase tenant/merchant awareness of availability of Safety Ambassador services.
Goal 1 Metrics:
• Reduce the number of calls to SLPD from Greenhouse Marketplace area • Number of business visitations/hospitality contacts including handing out flyers, sharing information and communications to businesses
Goal (2) Provide Safety Ambassador services that improve real and perceived safety in the Greenhouse Marketplace area for customers and merchants.
Goal 2 Objectives:
• Increase merchant perception that Greenhouse is a safe place to work. • Increase merchant perception as Greenhouse is a safe place for customers.
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• Increase customer perceptions that Greenhouse is a safe place to shop. • Increase merchant satisfaction with Safety Ambassador services.
Goal 2 Metrics:
• Total service encounters between Safety Ambassadors and individuals at the Marketplace (service encounters may include, for example, safety escorts, welfare checks, de-escalation services, addressing ordinance violations, addressing aggressive panhandling, and referrals to EMS/PD).
• Tenants/Merchant Survey - Tenants/merchants awareness and satisfaction with Safety Ambassador services and tenants/merchants perceptions of safety in the Marketplace.
• Customer Survey - Customer perceptions of safety in the Marketplace.
Merchant and Customer Surveys to Support Metrics
Before launching the Safety Ambassador program, BBB CA will conduct an in-person merchant survey. The survey will establish a baseline understanding of merchant perception of safety in the Marketplace. Subsequent merchant surveys will also include information about merchant satisfaction with Safety Ambassador services. In addition, BBB CA will also conduct a separate in-person customer survey to establish a baseline understanding of customer perception of safety in the Marketplace. The merchant survey and customer survey will be conducted twice in the first year (prior to program launch and six months later) and annually in subsequent years. The baseline data collected during the first survey will be used to measure the pilot program's impact.
Survey questions should be designed to respond to the metrics of the program's goals and objectives.