Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced Wednesday the first phase in a series of upcoming contracts to expand bridge housing and emergency sheltering opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness. 

Hancock and the Department of Housing Stability are partnering with philanthropic, nonprofit, and service providers through 11 pending contracts, worth nearly $7 million, to fund bridge housing vouchers, improvement projects for shelters, expanded daytime shelter access, and enhanced onsite programs and services to secure permanent housing for residents.  

“Affordable housing is one of the most critical issues facing Denver,” said Department of Housing Stability Executive Director Britta Fisher, who kicked off the Wednesday morning press conference at Denver City Hall. “It is imperative that city employees across departments, and with partners, work together to reach those who are unsheltered.” 

“Housing is foundational – and it matters,” Hancock said. “We have to have a commitment to do better in the city of Denver.” 

The contracts mark the first step of a three-year, nearly $16 million initiative first announced in May to expand housing for those experiencing homeless and connect vulnerable populations with city-funded and taxpayer-backed services and programs. 

As part of that plan, bridge housing investments of more than $2 million from the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and Family Promise of Greater Denver are expected to assist more than 600 households and 20 families with dependent children, respectively, through 2020. 

“We know that when people are stably housed, they are healthier, better able to stay employed, and children are better able to grow up happy, healthy, and do better in school,” Hancock said. 

Emergency shelter investments solidify an additional 40,000 hours of operation and support services, projected to provide more than 1,3000 households with case management assistance. 

The contracts also will fund Denver’s first 24/7 shelter, which will provide 25 beds accessible both day and night for veteran women, along with women over the age of 55. The shelter will provide meals, behavioral health assistance, and treatment for physical care and substance abuse.

Hancock said funding toward shelters is intended to help with barriers often faced by people experiencing homelessness, including a lack of storage for their belongings, along with safety, and accessibility issues. 

Five of the proposed contracts, each worth upwards of half a million dollars, will require City Council’s approval due to their price tag. The contracts are expected to be reviewed by council’s housing and homelessness committee on Dec. 11. 

Those include a $2 million contract with Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, a $2.3 million contract with Denver Rescue Mission, a nearly $1 million contract with Urban Peak, and a roughly $630,000 contract with Volunteers of America. 

“These partnerships and expanded services are critical,” Hancock said. Our approach of housing first – focusing on getting people indoors and housed, providing support for them and connecting them to resources and programs – has demonstrated positive results, and makes real impacts for real people and families who desperately need housing stability.”

Funding efforts also are provided by the Anschutz Foundation, the Colorado Health Foundation, the Associated General Contractors of Colorado, the Downtown Denver Partnership, and VISIT Denver. (Philip Anschutz owns the media group that runs Colorado Politics and The Gazette.) 

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct Britta Fisher’s title.