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Denver reviews family-shelter contracts and expands Housing Central Command amid rising family homelessness
Summary
HOST told the committee family homelessness rose ~150% from 2022–2025, presented family-shelter and Connection Center changes, a Tamarack provider transition, and outlined Housing Central Command contracts to speed rehousing and stabilization.
Denver officials told the Community Planning and Housing Committee they are modifying family-shelter contracts, expanding the city’s housing-central-command model and adding staffing to the Connection Center to respond to a sharp increase in family homelessness.
Jeff Kosinski, deputy director for Shelter and Stability at HOST, and Rosie McQuiggan, family program officer, said family homelessness rose roughly 150% between 2022 and 2025 even though the city nearly doubled non-congregate family shelter beds (from 194 to 303). HOST reported the family-shelter wait list grew to about 230 families — roughly 893 individuals — and said inflow continues to outpace exits.
HOST flagged one near-term provider change: the Tamarack Hotel contract will transition from Salvation Army to Bayada (HOST used variant spellings in the presentation) on Jan. 1, with no loss of bed capacity and a slightly reduced budget. Officials said the family-shelter budget for next year is about $10.5 million for 303 family units.
The committee also considered changes to the Connection Center, the centralized access point for family shelter. Rosie McQuiggan said HOST will narrow the Connection Center’s scope to focus on families experiencing literal homelessness or at imminent risk and add staffing (from about eight to 16) and on-site cold-weather vouchering at the Zuni location. “We’re really hoping to narrow the focus down to families experiencing literal homelessness or at risk of homelessness,” McQuiggan said.
Council members pushed for connection-center hours that match when residents seek help; HOST said the current hours are roughly 7 a.m.–9 p.m. weekdays with different weekend coverage and said they will examine call-volume data to optimize staffing.
Housing Central Command (HCC), introduced by Evangeline Benja (assistant director, Homelessness Resolution), is a crisis-response model combining navigation, unit acquisition and 12-month stabilization case management to reduce time from referral to housing. Benja presented preliminary 2026 contract figures: Community firm/CEDP (navigation) ~$1,243,974; Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (stabilization) ~$2,083,248; Housing Connector (rent payer and unit acquisition) ~$2,638,400. She said HCC housed 351 people of a 399 goal in 2025 and averages about 39 days from referral to housed outcome.
Council members questioned scale and budget: HOST staff said they proposed a larger HCC scope (about $15 million) but will operate with a smaller award this year and adjust targets accordingly. Staff also said they will roll out client surveys (contracted to Pulse for Good) across shelters and access points to measure service quality and produce quarterly reports.
What it means: The presentations show HOST reorienting access and navigation systems toward quicker leasing and stabilization while increasing front-line Connection Center staffing; officials said prevention and housing exits remain essential to reducing inflow.
Next steps: HOST will finalize contract negotiations, provide follow-up materials requested by the council (including which 2026 allocations appear in the budget book), and return grant/contract details for council review.
