A nonprofit organization that runs a community ambassador program in San Francisco recently reached a deal with the city government to prevent layoffs, despite mixed public opinion about the organization. The nonprofit, Urban Alchemy, employs workers to patrol the streets of San Francisco and work to combat violence and drug-related issues. The city government is not sure how efficient the program is at keeping San Francisco healthy and safe and states that the program requires a significant amount of funding, and the city is dealing with a budget crisis. The current annual contract that Urban Alchemy has with the city is 16 million dollars in funding, and the organization is seeking an increase of 7.8 million dollars, and the additional funding will increase coverage to more streets in San Francisco. It is expected that the city will counter with a 3.4 million proposal, which will prevent job cuts.
See "San Francisco city government likely to reach deal with Urban Alchemy, a nonprofit operating a community ambassador initiative", Adam Shanks, San Francisco Examiner, December 2, 2024