The Denver City Council has again deferred a contract with the Salvation Army that would extend a previous agreement for local homeless services by 12 months and $4.5 million, bringing the total value of the amended deal to $19.3 million.

The agreement between the city and the faith-based charity organization would provide continued “programmatic services” at Crossroads, a 24-hour “low-barrier emergency shelter facility for homeless men and individuals who identify, express, and present as transgender, non-binary, or gender non-conforming.”

The resolution was previously deferred from the June 9 council meeting due to its late addition to the agenda, a move that concerns District 8 Councilmember Shontel M. Lewis.

“When contracts are submitted late like this, councilmembers could feel obligated to vote yes on them because they include what I consider ‘old money’ and ‘new money,’ Lewis said in her district newsletter Monday.

“Old money,” according to Lewis, who was not present at Monday’s meeting, refers to funds that have been approved by the city but not yet paid out. “New money” is the request for additional funds to continue work, and/or expand a contract.

Lewis, who has, at times, been critical of the city services provided by The Salvation Army, said that when both a contract closeout and an extension approval are packaged in the same vote, council members lose the ability to scrutinize the contract on its own merits and assess its long-term effectiveness.

“I just want to thank council for postponing the vote on the Crossroads Salvation Army contract,” Therese Howard from House Keys Action Network told the council during the general public comment session. “I hope that it’s a good sign that the council is going to make the right decision to not renew a contract with Salvation Army to run that shelter.”

Earlier this year, councilmembers delivered a 10-1 no vote, sinking a proposed three-year agreement between the city and The Salvation Army – worth more than $2.9 million – to provide rapid rehousing services for the city’s homeless.

The resolution is scheduled to return to the City Council on June 23.