Sioux Falls council approves downtown ambassador subsidy and housing case‑management contract amid public criticism of spending

The Sioux Falls City Council on Tuesday approved two contracts intended to support downtown outreach and housing case management, voting unanimously on both measures amid heated public comment questioning the city’s spending priorities.

The council approved a subsidy agreement with Downtown Sioux Falls Inc. to add and train two ambassadors for downtown outreach and services, and it approved a subrecipient agreement under the Bright Futures program with Interlakes Community Action Partnership to provide case management tied to tenant‑based rental assistance. Both motions passed 7-0.

The ambassador program, Downtown Sioux Falls Inc.’s long‑running downtown outreach effort, is paid in part by a Business Improvement District and supplemented by this city subsidy, Brandon Hansen, CEO of Downtown Sioux Falls Inc., told the council. "The ambassadors...are the hands and feet of downtown, the business community," Hansen said, describing their role in homeless outreach and…