March 28, 2022

SID Services Toolkit

 

The Capital Crossroads & Discovery Special Improvement Districts’ mission is to support the development of Downtown Columbus as a clean, safe, and fun place to work, live, and play.

Our services are designed to help downtown businesses, employers and residences thrive. SID Ambassadors devote their time to cleaning, landscaping, safety, upkeep, and homeless outreach in the Discovery and Capital Crossroads Districts.

We’ve developed assets to help you inform your customers, residents, employees, and other audiences that we are here to help. We recommend sharing these on a regular basis to help communicate the safety, beauty, and fun of Downtown Columbus!


Print Materials

 

Web & Social Assets

 

Content for Newsletters

 


About SID Services

 

For well over two decades, the smiling faces of the Capital Crossroads & Discovery Special Improvement District (SID)Ambassadors have provided a welcoming presence in Downtown Columbus. They spend their days roving the area on bike or foot, hunting for opportunities to make the city we love a safer, cleaner, more fun place for visitors, employees, and residents alike!

From helping property owners with graffiti removal to maintaining the landscaping of Nationwide Boulevard and Gay Street to offering safety escorts and wellbeing checks for those in need, the SID Ambassadors are here to help. Call the SID Hotline at (614) 228-5718 for these services and more!


Keeping Downtown Safe

Downtown Columbus continues to be the city’s central business district and cultural hub. It also remains one of the safest neighborhoods in the city. In 2021 alone, the Capital Crossroads & Discovery Special Improvement Districts (SIDs) provided over 30,000 hours of additional safety services and presence to Downtown Columbus.

Capital Crossroads ambassadors, in blue uniforms, and Discovery ambassadors in red uniforms, patrol their respective neighbors by bike or foot.  They provide an extra set of eyes and ears for the Columbus Division of Police. They also offer safety escorts to persons walking to their vehicle from work or to a resident walking downtown. SID ambassadors are always happy to provide directions or even a suggestion on where to dine.

In addition, the SIDs hire special duty police officers to proactively patrol downtown streets and engage with security professionals and community stakeholders to address public safety concerns. In 2021, SID-employed special duty officers provided over 5,000 hours of services patrolling the downtown areas. These extra layers of security make Downtown Columbus one of the safest neighborhoods for residents, visitors, and employees.

If you are ever in need of a safety escort from one location to another, please don’t hesitate to call the SID Hotline at (614) 228-5718 and a friendly face will arrive quickly to deliver you safely to your downtown destination.


Homeless Outreach Downtown

Next time you encounter a panhandler or person experiencing homelessness downtown, know that the Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts (SIDs) are available to help them find shelter and housing. All SID ambassadors are trained to conduct wellness checks and provide information to find shelter, meals, and access services.

Additionally, thanks to financial support from downtown property owners, the SID employs two full-time and one part-time outreach specialists to help those in need find shelter, permanent housing, and other resources.

The outreach specialists:

  • Find temporary or permanent supportive housing
  • Help clients with criminal records find work
  • Connect clients with services for physical or cognitive disabilities
  • Link veterans to eligible services
  • Help clients obtain copies of birth certificates
  • Pay for application fees, transportation, access to the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio, utility assistance, and small household items

In 2021, Bill and Ryan, the two outreach specialists, spent thousands of hours hard at work helping to connect their clients with long-term solutions and a path forward.

“What we do is go out and find folks where they are — outside, in tents, on the sidewalk, wherever they are — and we provide different things that they need. But the main thing that we’re trying to have folks focus on is housing because eventually, we want to see them move off the streets into their own place.” — Ryan | Full-Time Outreach Specialist

If you see someone experiencing homelessness downtown, please contact the SID Hotline at (614) 228-5718 and we will take steps to get them the help that they need.


Cleaning & Landscaping Downtown

Throughout the year, SID Ambassadors devote meticulous time and attention to keeping Downtown Columbus clean and inviting. This includes several medians on Gay Street and Nationwide Boulevard along with the planters around Capitol Square and the hanging flower baskets on High Street.

When the chill of winter hits, the Ambassadors can be found tirelessly clearing paths through the snow to make sure you can safely and easily walk around downtown. As temperatures rise in the spring, you may see the SID team out in their yellow uniforms, sweeping up litter, pressure washing sidewalks, watering flowers, and more.

To see the Ambassadors in action, follow the Special Improvement Districts on Facebook (@CapitalCrossroadsandDiscovery) or Instagram (@capital_crossroads_discovery) to see their work in progress.