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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Tuesday that $9.2 million would be awarded to four community-based organizations for the Safe Passage, Safe Blocks program for fiscal 2026. The organizations include the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, Collaborative Solutions for Communities, Mute the Violence D.C. and the National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens. The three-year-old program, which falls under the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, places 200 Safe Passage ambassadors in more than 129 predetermined routes to ensure students can safely travel to and from school. A total of 12 priority areas, including L’Enfant Plaza, Eastern/Stadium Armory, Congress Heights, Columbia Heights, Fort Totten and Anacostia, have been highlighted by the District. The D.C. government website describes the recognizable green vest clad ambassadors as “trained and trusted adults from community-based organizations.” Assigned to work in partnership with schools, ambassadors work to build relationships with school staff, students, families and community members such as the D.C. police. The ambassadors can be found in the morning as kids make their way to school, and three hours after school lets out. Their patrols continue all year long, during summer school. Shortly after the award announcement, Lindsey Appiah, the deputy mayor for public safety and justice, told WTOP, “The mayor wants to continue to invest in solutions that work across the government, whether in education or in public safety.” Appiah said ambassadors also make up part of the city’s Safety Go Teams, which specifically support communities during holiday weekends when large crowds are anticipated in order to provide a positive and safe environment. “Some kids move across the city, as we know, and sometimes what we know is there might be some disputes between different schools, like we’ve seen at some of the sporting events,” Appiah said. The group was out in force this past Halloween, a night that Appiah described as both partly positive and negative. “They were actually activated on Halloween, from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. in neighborhoods across the District, working with MPD to identify areas where additional presence may be helpful,” Appiah said. See the box below for a detailed breakdown of priority areas assigned to each organization. Center for Nonprofit Advancement Brookland, NoMa, L’Enfant and Eastern Avenue Collaborative Solutions for Communities Congress Heights, Columbia Heights, Fort Totten, Tenleytown and Petworth / Brightwood Mute the Violence DC Minnesota Avenue / Deanwood National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens Potomac Avenue and Anacostia Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here. © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
