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Committee approves contract amendment to expand Denver Day Works services with ServiceSource
Summary
The Community Planning and Housing Committee approved a contract amendment that adds $413,000 to Denver Day Works’ ServiceSource contract (bringing the calendar-year total to $550,000), extends the term through the end of the year and refocuses priority referrals toward rapid rehousing and newly unhoused shelter entrants.
The Community Planning and Housing Committee of the Denver City Council on April 14 approved a contract amendment to continue the Denver Day Works employment program, voting informally to advance the item to the full council.
Kevin Kelly, a program officer with HOST, told the committee the amendment would “add $413,000 onto the full contract amount, bringing it to $550,000 for the calendar year,” extend a short-term contract that had expired on March 31 through the end of the year and update contract language to prioritize referrals from HOST rapid-rehousing programs and newly unhoused households entering the shelter system.
The vote follows a presentation by Kelly summarizing Day Works’ operations and outcomes. Launched in 2017, the program — originally run by Bayaud Enterprises and now operated by ServiceSource — assigns participants to work crews for light landscaping, trash removal and other public-realm work while providing case management and employment supports. Kelly said program goals in the contract’s logic model include serving 90 households during the year, engaging 50% or more with case management and placing at least 35% into permanent employment.
Kelly reviewed recent outcomes: “2024 was a pretty typical year for the program, around 49 job placements,” he said, and described a rebound in 2026 after a dip in 2025 tied to staffing and the organizational transition; by March 2026 he reported 24 households served with nine placements and an average wage rising to about $23.50 an hour.
Committee members questioned capacity, access and operational details. Councilmember Alvidrez asked about wait lists and demand; Tammy Belafata, acting executive director for ServiceSource (and identified as formerly connected to Bayaud Enterprises), said there is currently no wait list and that eligible individuals are being enrolled within 14 days. On transportation to weekly orientations at Central Library, ServiceSource staff said case managers and outreach partners help connect people but that the program does not provide dedicated transit.
Several members also pressed whether the program is administratively in the right department. Councilmember Amanda Sawyer said the program’s workforce-development elements suggested it might be better aligned under the city’s workforce agency; Jeff Kosinski, deputy director at HOST, acknowledged operational conversations with the workforce agency and said any structural change would be considered in next fiscal-year budget discussions.
The committee’s chair said Council President Jamie Torres moved approval and indicated a second; members gave thumbs-up and voice agreement. The chair said the item will be scheduled on the council floor for formal consideration.
The amendment, if approved at the full council, will fund ServiceSource’s expanded role through the end of the calendar year and prioritize HOST referrals and newly unhoused shelter entrants as primary populations served.
