What we do
The Community Ambassadors Program (CAP) is a community safety and neighborhood engagement program. We engage, inform and assist community members in San Francisco. CAP also provides a visible, non-law enforcement safety presence in several neighborhoods. This focus on community safety helps us build trust, calm tensions, and prevent violence.
Our services:
- Provide safety escorts: Residents can request a safety escort in neighborhoods where we work
- Report emergencies: We contact medical and emergency services for community members in crisis
- Report hazards: We call SF 311 and City departments about safety hazards, street cleanliness, graffiti and other issues
- Conduct wellness checks: We check on individuals in public spaces
- Provide referrals: We link community members to available social services
- Conduct outreach: We educate and inform the public about City services and programs
Where we operate
Community Ambassadors work in diverse neighborhoods to promote safety and connect people to services. We help San Franciscans that are low-income, experiencing homelessness, speak a language other than English, older adults, and more.
Currently, the Community Ambassadors Program operates in the following neighborhoods:
- Bayview/Visitacion Valley/Portola
- Chinatown
- Haight-Ashbury/Lower Haight/Hayes Valley/Fillmore
- Mid-Market/Tenderloin
- Mission
- Outer Sunset
Who we are
Our Community Ambassadors often live in the neighborhoods where they work. They bring a diversity of life experiences to their work. Many are long-time San Franciscans, immigrants, formerly unhoused, or re-entering the workforce.
Together, our team members speak over 20 languages, including: Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Filipino, Russian, Vietnamese and Samoan.
CAP uses trauma-informed and community-centered approaches to our work. As a workforce development program, Ambassadors are trained in a variety of topics. These trainings are led by local community experts that work in the areas of violence prevention, crisis intervention, homelessness, de-escalation and more.
Some of the trainings and certifications all CAP team members complete are:
- Alive & Free Prescription violence prevention training
- Homelessness and mental illness sensitivity training
- Trauma-informed de-escalation practices
- Implicit bias, cultural diversity, and harassment prevention
- Professional development and computer skills
- CPR and First Aid
- NARCAN / harm reduction training
- Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (N.E.R.T) training
Learn more about overdose prevention programs and resources in San Francisco.
Our history
CAP is a program of the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA). CAP started in 2010 in the Bayview and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods in response to cultural and linguistic tensions, increased violence, and the need for better community safety options.
Since then, the program expanded to more neighborhoods and continues to grow. Our Ambassadors are San Franciscans that reflect the City’s diverse communities.
Watch SFGovTv's "Being SF / Community Ambassadors" feature for an inside look into a day in the life of our Ambassadors.
Become a Community Ambassador
We hire new Ambassadors on a rolling basis.
- If you have 6-9 months of relevant experience, you can apply to become a Community Ambassador.
- If you have no experience, you can apply to become a Community Ambassador Trainee.
Contact us at community.ambassadors@sfgov.org with questions.
