The Denver City Council on Monday approved a contract with The Salvation Army that had been delayed during last week’s meeting.

Two council members, Flor Alvidrez and Shontel Lewis, voted against the measure with Lewis citing her desire for data driven contracts.

The council also approved $12 million for rental assistance expansion at its meeting Monday.

The contract with The Salvation Army is worth $8 million and will support family sheltering services at The Tamarac Family Shelter at 7525 E. Hampden Ave., according to city documents. Last week, Councilwoman Sarah Parady called the item out for a delay but did not offer explanation in the meeting.

While Alvidrez did not explain her opposition during Monday’s meeting, Lewis had prepared a statement for the council and public. In it she said the city cannot continue to throw money around to solve problems and called for data driven decision making that can be baked into every contract appearing before the council in the future.

“It is not possible to make informed decisions about success or areas for improvement, nor to fairly draw comparisons between contracts if they aren’t measured the same way,” she said. “In committee, we’ve heard about the types of changes in accountability and the oversight which The Salvation Army has agreed to make. While this is welcome news and overdue, it does not change the fact that these are strictly voluntary requirements.”

The Salvation Army came under scrutiny during a substantial review of homeless service providers during an expose on the “homeless industrial complex” by The Denver Gazette. By far, The Salvation Army benefits the most from city contracts, raking in $274 million since 2021. Yet the operation and safety of their shelters has come into extreme question, even by members of the council.

The Denver Gazette previously reported there were more than 1,200 police 911 calls for gun violence, drug use, theft and other violent acts at or near the former DoubleTree Hotel at 4040 Quebec St. between October 2023 and Jan. 12, 2024. That is hundreds more than at other city-leased hotels for the homeless. Further, The Denver Gazette found, using public records, that there were seven deaths at the DoubleTree between January and the end of March.

The Salvation Army said the DoubleTree facility is “clean, safe and secure.”

Councilwoman Diana Romero Campbell, who represents District 4, where the Tamarac Family Shelter is located, was absent from Monday’s meeting but provided a statement to the council supporting the contract.

“My experiences with TSA have been positive and I see the work that they’ve done to build their capacity and partnerships to serve families in our community,” she said. “I know there are still growth opportunities for TSA as an organization, however I commend them that they’ve stepped forward to serve our unhoused community.”

Senior investigative reporter Christopher Osher and investigative reporter Jenny Deam contributed to this story.