Eau Claire Cancels Contract for Street Ambassador Program Early

The City of Eau Claire is looking at alternate options after deciding to end the Street Ambassador Program it launched last year.

The program sought to act as a liaison between unhoused individuals in the area and downtown businesses, hoping to connect those unhoused individuals with essential services and avoid the need for a law enforcement response whenever possible.

The City of Eau Claire launched the program following a Point in Time survey that identified 82 unhoused individuals in Eau Claire County, a significant increase over previous surveys. It was meant to act as short term relief while the City worked to increase its overall housing supply, an expensive and time-consuming process.

The Street Ambassador Program was administered by an organization called Block by Block, which was also contracted to clean up things like graffiti and trash from streets in the downtown area. Funding for the program came from the American Rescue Plan Act.

City officials say they decided to cancel the contract after the ambassadors employed by the organization failed to meet performance standards with regards to the clean up work. They also say the cancellation of the contract means there’s roughly $300,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funding remaining.

That funding must be spent by the end of the year and be spent on the same service that the Street Ambassador Program provided. City officials say their goal is to explore their alternate options over the coming weeks to ensure a seamless transition before the Block by Block contract officially ends on March 19th.