City Council approves Athmar Park cold‑weather shelter contract to keep people off streets

Denver City Council voted unanimously Monday to adopt a contract authorizing a congregate cold‑weather shelter at 375 South Zuni Street in the Athmar Park neighborhood, a measure supporters said was necessary to protect people from winter exposure.

The resolution (Council Resolution 25‑19‑58) authorizes an agreement with Bayad Works LLC to operate and staff the facility. Councilmember Flynn moved the resolution onto the floor and the council recorded 13 ayes to adopt it.

Councilmember Alvidrez, whose district includes Athmar Park, acknowledged neighborhood concerns about placement and outreach but said she would vote to approve the shelter because “there are lives at risk across the city.” She urged the administration to partner more closely with district offices to improve communication and services.

Council members described recurring issues in how shelter locations have been sited and communicated. Councilmember Alvarez said earlier outreach had not felt substantive and called for “more partnership from the administration.” Councilmembers Lewis and Gonzales Gutierrez also urged better planning and services for people leaving shelters so communities are not left to absorb unmanaged crisis responses.

City staff said the agreement draws from a liabilities claim pool and that shelter funding is drawn from municipal appropriations set aside for those purposes. The council debated the broader homelessness strategy but adopted the resolution to ensure immediate shelter capacity for winter conditions.

The resolution’s adoption was followed by passage of related family‑shelter and service agreements later in the meeting. The council recorded the vote and adopted the item as part of its regular session.

The next procedural step is implementation of the contract by city staff and the shelter operator; council members requested continued follow‑up briefings on outreach, operations and neighboring impacts.