Washington, D.C., December 22, 2008… The NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) Business Improvement District (BID) has hired two new Safety Ambassadors. Robert Walker joined the BID in October after graduating from Project Empowerment, a District-funded job training program, and interning with the BID for several weeks during the summer. Albert Williams joined the team in December after completing customer service training offered by S.O.M.E. (So Others Might Eat). The NoMa BID now has four uniformed Ambassadors available to help workers and visitors within the rapidly developing neighborhood just north of Union Station in Washington, D.C.With roving patrols through NoMa, particularly around Union Station and New York Avenue Metro stations, the BID’s Ambassadors are busy greeting and providing support to visitors and travelers. They also reach out to homeless persons and refer them to agencies that provide support services. The Ambassadors actively inspect the BID area and follow up on infrastructure maintenance, repair, and sanitation needs. Since launching the program in April, the Ambassadors have provided over 4,000 assists, including successfully moving five people from homelessness to housing and connecting 26 others with supportive services.

“The Ambassador team is a key facet of the BID’s comprehensive program designed to make NoMa clean, safe, and friendly for employees and visitors alike,” said Elizabeth Price, President of the NoMa BID. “Together with NoMa’s Clean Team that provides daily street and sidewalk cleaning services, the Ambassadors help ensure that everyone in NoMa feels welcome and safe.” The NoMa BID’s other Ambassadors are Supervisor Aaron McKeiver and Ibrahim Turayson.

The Ambassadors have received training from the Metropolitan Police Department’s 1st District, the D.C. Department of Mental Health’s Homeless Outreach Program, and the D.C. Department of Transportation in infrastructure inspection and maintenance. The team also is trained to provide first aid and CPR. The Ambassador Team has been briefed on NoMa development project and plans, and works in close coordination with the BID’s Clean Team.

NoMa is an emerging mixed-use neighborhood north of the U.S. Capitol and Union Station in Washington, D.C. Private developers have invested over $1 billion in 2007-2008 alone, with plans to develop more than 20 million square feet of office, residential, hotel, and retail space in the 35-block area covered by the NoMa BID over the next 10 years. For more information about the BID, including an interactive development map, see the BID Web site at http://nomabid.wpengine.com.