The Denver City Council on Monday will consider spending nearly $8 million for micro-communities under construction to house homeless people.

Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration broke ground on micro-communities at 2301 S. Santa Fe Drive, 1375 Elati St. and 12033 E. 38th Ave. The mayor has vowed to house 1,000 homeless people by the end of the year.

The council will consider three contracts for micro-community buildings and service providers.

One is a $4.25 million contract with Satellite Shelters to purchase 14 “modular community buildings” to be built at the three micro-community sites.

Another contract calls for $2,249,537 for the Colorado Village Collaborative, a nonprofit working to provide stable housing for homeless people, to provide site operation service at 2301 S. Santa Fe Drive.

The third contract provides $1,451,142 for The Gathering Place, a Denver-based nonprofit offering homeless-related services, to operate the 1375 Elati St. site.

The council already approved Bayaud Enterprises to provide site operations at the 12033 E. 38th Ave. micro-community.

All provider contracts expire at the end of 2024.

The micro-communities are intended to be monitored 24/7 with mini shelter units, community buildings, and laundry, bathroom, shower and kitchen facilities.

Service providers, not the city, will be responsible for monitoring and maintaining micro-communities.

Also on the agenda for Monday:

Contracts and Resolutions

• Approving a $6,401,835 grant agreement for the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant funds. The funds provide services and projects for neighborhood and business development programs for the 2023 program year.
• Adding $300,000 for a new total of $600,000 with Brothers Redevelopment, Inc. and an additional $4,413,171 to provide financial assistance to households who have experienced financial hardship at or below 80 percent of the area median income to prevent homelessness through the Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance Program.
• An agreement with The Community Firm to provide $7,400,632 in funding for the Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance Program. The city council recently approved $29.1 million in additional rental assistance funding in 2024.
• Two agreements with Jewish Family Service worth $872,137 to provide another year of rental assistance funding, including help for homeless families.
• An agreement with Volunteers of America Colorado Branch adding $1,333,980 for a new contract total of $4,996,660 to provide family motel sheltering operations under the respite program until Jan. 31, 2024.

Bills

• Bill allocating $8 million from Denver Human Services Special Revenue fund to the Border Crisis Response Special Revenue fund.
• Bill allocating $5 million from the General Fund to the Affordable Housing Special Revenue fund.

The council rolled over public hearings from last Monday to this week when pro-Palestinian demonstrators forced councilmembers to adjourn after disrupting business.

Demonstrators during public comment called for the council to denounce this past weekend’s Jewish National Fund-USA’s global conference.