Denver's new Columbine family shelter has $1.8 million budgeted for next year and no operator yet

Denver's Department of Housing Stability (HOST) will brief the Council's Community Planning and Housing Committee on Tuesday, Nov. 17, on its family shelter contracts for the coming years (presentation, 26-1763).

Why it matters: families are a growing part of Denver's homelessness response. The slides show the city had 194 family shelter units in 2022 and 325 in 2026, a 68% increase.

The five contracts

Theodora, Volunteers of America. A 50-unit, 24/7 non-congregate shelter at 4885 W. Colfax Ave. in District 3, in a building VOA owns. Proposed: a four-year performance-based contract worth $10,588,915, with $2.55 million in 2027.

The Crossing, Denver Rescue Mission. A 30-unit, 24/7 non-congregate family shelter at 6090 Smith Road in District 8. HOST says it covers beds lost when Lambuth closed and adds 10 more. Proposed: four years, $6,345,156, with $1.53 million in 2027.

Columbine Family Emergency Shelter, provider to be determined. A new 24/7 congregate shelter for up to 20 families, or 60 people, in a city-owned building on Columbine Street in District 9. HOST has budgeted $1.8 million for 2027. "Opening date and provider not confirmed at this time," the slides say. They list the address as 4280 Columbine St.; a September briefing on the same project listed 4080 Columbine St. (our story).

The Connection Center, The Salvation Army. The phone line and intake hub for every family seeking shelter. It screens families, manages the waitlist and hands out hotel vouchers during cold weather. Proposed: a four-year cost-reimbursement contract worth $6,708,086, at $1,615,427 a year, with 12.5 staff plus three more in cold weather. HOST says it spent 86% of its 2025 budget.

Tamarac Family Emergency Shelter, Bayaud Works. An amendment to add security. The slides don't give an amount.

How the pay-for-results contracts work

Theodora and The Crossing would be paid on four measures, the same model HOST is using for its new adult shelter contracts (our story):

• 45% for sheltered nights, at $86 a night, assuming 95% occupancy
• 45% for case management, with a target of 80% of families engaged
• 8% for housing assessments, for 90% of families
• 2% for "rapid resolution," placing about 5% of families quickly

HOST budgets about $139.72 per unit per night at Theodora and $139.55 at The Crossing.

How they've done

In 2025, according to the slides:

• Theodora: average stay of 139 days; 96 positive exits, 82% of families who left.
• Denver Rescue Mission's family shelter: average stay of 150 days; 12 positive exits, 44% of those who left.
• All family shelters: average stay of 165 days; 56% positive exits.
• The Connection Center served 2,033 households through intake, 1,051 in cold weather and 253 through rapid resolution. It counted 383 households that left homelessness after rapid resolution or other help.

What our records add

The Council split on the Connection Center last time. A $1,615,427 amendment for The Salvation Army's Connection Center through 2026, 25-1585, passed 10-3 on Dec. 15, 2025. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Shontel Lewis and Sarah Parady voted no (meeting).

Tamarac passed without opposition. Bayaud Works' $14.2 million contract for 205 family units at the Tamarac shelter in District 4, 26-0077, passed 12-0 on Jan. 26, with Lewis absent (meeting). An earlier version had been tabled (25-1705).

The Salvation Army's adult shelter role is ending. HOST plans to give Crossroads and the 48th Avenue shelter to Urban Alchemy, and is considering closing Crossroads within a year (our story). Those contracts have not been filed yet.

What's next

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1:30 p.m.: Community Planning and Housing Committee (meeting). This is a briefing; the contracts themselves still have to be filed and approved. The same committee takes up the Delores Project's women's shelter contract (26-1742).