Denver housing agency proposes $205.6 million 2026 budget, warns of cuts after one-time funding ends

The Department of Housing Stability (HOST) presented its proposed 2026 budget to the Community Planning & Housing Committee, saying the city will operate on smaller, ongoing revenue after a period of large one-time federal and state funding. HOST Executive Director Jamie Torres said the 2026 request totals $205,600,000 and reflects hard choices after pandemic-era, one-time dollars disappeared.

"This is the year that we are in a budget season where we don't have the 1 time funding anymore that we've had really since host inception," Jamie Torres said during the committee meeting. The department said it structured the request to preserve life-safety services while shifting some programs to new delivery or reduced scale.

The nut of HOST's presentation was that the agency expects to cover most of its contract-driven work from general and special revenue but must reduce some services because about $33 million in programmatic funding is being lost as one-time grants and vouchers expire. "We are losing, I believe it's close to $33,000,000 in programmatic funding," Jeff Kositzky, Deputy Director for Shelter and Stability at HOST, told the committee.

Key budget figures HOST shared include a total ask of $205.6 million, with roughly 35% expected from general fund, 25% from the homelessness resolution fund, 24% from affordable housing funds, and about 16% from other special revenues and grants. Personnel costs were listed near $14.5 million and services-and-contracts at about $191 million. HOST said it served more than 11,500 households — about 14,500 individuals — in 2024 and estimates it will serve about 13,781 households in 2025, declining slightly to 13,231 under the current 2026 plan.

The department outlined specific program changes. HOST plans to preserve cold-weather…