I am proud to share with our ratepayers and downtown community the outstanding work and accomplishments of the Downtown Portland Clean & Safe (DPCS) team and the dozens of amazing and dedicated vendor staff. This report and update is one of optimism and reflects where our ESD and downtown community have come from and looks toward the future.
Over the last year, we have gained even greater efficiency, accountability, and professional service regarding our Public Safety Program. We answered the call of many event organizers to support enhanced safety for dozens of successful events throughout our district. These events brought back thousands of Portlanders and new visitors to enjoy the heart of our city. Our Public Safety Coordinators also saved more than 100 lives through the fast delivery of Narcan and CPR during some of our darkest days of the fentanyl crisis. This is not a service we anticipated providing but understand that due to the present crisis in our region it is our duty to play our part in saving lives.
Our Janitorial Program continues to go above and beyond, while working in stronger collaboration with the City of Portland and many city bureaus, we have maximized our limited resources, creating real and tangible improvements to our downtown streets and neighborhoods.
This report also provides the opportunity to share the work and accomplishments of our newly formed Street Outreach Program. While our primary mission is to keep our streets clean and safe, we are proud to have added this new program to provide greater access to resources for the most vulnerable Portlanders.
From our successful partnership and placemaking events at Director Park to a dramatically improved area known as the Ankeny Triangle, we are committed to collaborating with the city and our community so that everyone can enjoy downtown Portland and businesses can thrive.
