Pros
The idea behind the position is a good one.
Cons
Block by Block in San Francisco is NOT ready for prime time. Unfortunately, Block by Block doesn't work as a 'out of the box' solution in the San Francisco market which the city is paying millions of dollars for. The directors/mangers running the Block by Block program haven't been properly trained by Block by Block to adjust the program to meet the needs of the program for San Francisco. What works in one metro area, doesn't work for all. The program is built on lack of trust of employees with a 'point system' of absenteeism, pre-shift militaristic drills, uniform conformity/grooming that is waved for management favorite team members. Attrition rates are MASSIVE and San Francisco city leadership exploring this fact alone points to the program failure in city. Ambassadors are supposed to 'greet' everyone on the street and are required to capture each 'greet' live-time for SF Travel & Tourism data and to support the future investment/funding for the program in the city. Rarely do the Ambassadors greet people, heads buried in phones and the data is polluted. I have personally seen Ambassadors littering, eating, drinking, talking on personal phones and most importantly ignore the humans around them. The program management expects Ambassadors to work in violent inclement storms where the city/county itself is assisting the homeless to find shelter during given storm. I'm confident the city/county is completely unaware this program is forcing the staff to work outside in this weather and the 'kicker', umbrellas and rain gear are 'first come, first served' and not enough gear for everyone. Doing Ambassador trainings in-office for scheduled employees on violent storm days would be a win-win and has never been explored. Quality employees who have a concierge mindset quit almost immediately. Either the leadership needs training on hiring quality employees, or training on retainment or both.
