Downtown’s first ambassador offers street-level service to all

Many walk the other way. Or cross the street. Or hustle by without making eye contact.

Not Martin Dill.

When he encounters a panhandler, a homeless person or someone creating a bit of a disruption downtown, he walks up to the person. He strikes up a conversation. He attempts to make a connection.

It’s part of Dill’s personality. But it’s also part of his profession.

Late this spring, he became a paid ambassador for Downtown Sioux Falls Inc.

“Everybody has a different story,” said Dill, who owned Marty’s Mowing for 24 years and offered lawn care and snow removal before accepting his new position.

He became connected to DTSF a few years ago when he was hired to help take down holiday lights, and when the organization decided to hire its first ambassador, Dill became the winning candidate.

“He has the right demeanor. He is the perfect person,” said Joe Batcheller, president of Downtown Sioux Falls Inc.

The position is one that exists in downtown organizations elsewhere, he said. It was started in Sioux Falls in response to feedback from property owners, especially as the pandemic led to more individuals with social services needs coming downtown.

“It can be part hospitality for visitors, for shoppers, pointing out destinations and also providing a little extra support with cleaning sidewalks,” he said. “But a lot of them will also provide homeless outreach and/or some level of security. We’re not going to step in and do the police’s job, we don’t have the resources or training, but we can do the homeless outreach side.”

The goal is to approach the role from a position of empathy, Batcheller said.

“And understand what their needs are,” he said. “A lot of times it may be they’re needing a place to stay, they’re needing a meal. There’s folks that are frankly inebriated and they might be to a state where it’s in their best interest that they detox in a supervised environment, so we make those connections for them with the Link.”

Dill, who oversees a small team of people tasked with cleaning streets, watering flowers and removing snow, begins the day walking Phillips Avenue and talking to people while cleaning up.

“It might be people on their way to work, shopping, in from out of town or it could be some of our homeless folks,” he said. “It might talk to store owners, I might talk to employees, the property owner or people who live in apartments.”

He’s gotten to know many downtown regulars – including those who loiter or pandhandle – by name.

“With some I know where they’re from and what’s going on with the family,” he said. “Oftentimes people in that predicament have substance abuse issues and sometimes they can have very different personalities depending on what time of day you bump into them and what kind of day they’re having.”

He’s been known to intervene at points critical enough he might have even saved lives in the less than six months he’s been on the job. It’s rare, though. Usually, keeping the peace downtown just involves talking people through a difficult situation.

“I go up and call them by name and ask if they need anything and say let’s go for a walk,” Dill said. “Come with me and I’ll get you a Gatorade. So we get up and moving and talking.”

He’s not law enforcement, but the high-visibility yellow uniform does suggest a certain level of authority, he said.

“I’m a big guy in this super day-glo outfit,” he said.

The hours vary. In the spring, he’d come in as early as 5 a.m. During the summer, he’d work as late as 8 p.m. and on Saturday night until midnight. Lately it’s been more traditional hours.

The added attention on the street comes at an opportune time.

“We’ve seen an uptick in panhandling and there are different folks you see panhandling downtown,” Batcheller said. “There are some who genuinely need money. We have a few folks that were not familiar to the downtown community prior to COVID, and some of those folks might have been more opportunistic. And as COVID hit, we saw folks with mental health issues and we wanted to be the front lines to be able to at least observe and report and try to help where we can.”

In September, signs went up around downtown encouraging charitable giving instead of assisting panhandlers.

The Sioux Falls Police Department doesn’t have data to track panhandling, but anecdotally, there seem to be fewer panhandlers, Batcheller said. Whether it’s the signs, Dill’s efforts or simply the changing seasons is hard to track, too.

“Martin’s wellbeing is a top concern for me too,” Batcheller said. “I’m not asking him to put himself in harm’s way by any means. But if he has some gentle conflict resolution techniques that can be employed, wonderful. His is someone who is genuine. His empathy is real. He’s got a great outdoing personality and he’s very smart in how he deals with people.”

Dill also has been known to help someone in need literally off the ground and into his truck for a ride to the Link.

“Sometimes they do need medical attention, but other times it’s just, ‘Yeah, man, take me up there. I’ve done everything I can today and I am having a rough spot.’ They know if I’m trying to move them along or help them get some place I’ve had a complaint or they’re causing a nuisance,” Dill said. “A lot of times it’s just about company. They want to be around people.”

It’s not all about deescalating problems, either.

Dill has interacted with people from all over the country, providing everything from directions to dining recommendations.

“We get more compliments on a daily basis from people who are from out of town,” he said. “They see what you’re doing with a big broom and a dustpan, and they come up and say ‘Thank you, this is the cleanest city we’ve ever been in.’ Everybody loves the flowers.”

And, increasingly, Dill himself is becoming part of the downtown landscape.

“He gets a lot of thank you’s from folk who appreciate him being out there,” Batcheller said. “He’s making a difference for people. He’s making a difference for the downtown community.”

As for Dill, he looks to help lead a growing team of future ambassadors, which DTSF envisions creating as downtown continues to expand.

“I try not to be too much of what people would consider a bleeding heart in this stuff, because you’re in a position where you can get taken advantage of, but every once in awhile the enormity of what they’re facing on a daily basis hits me,” he said.

“You think you’re having a bad day and you find yourself counting your blessings a lot doing this.”