The Denver City Council on Monday will consider a $2 million grant agreement which, if approved, would provide mental health and substance abuse services at temporary, non-congregate homeless shelter sites under the mayor’s housing initiative.

The grant directly impacts Denver’s “House1000 Behavioral Health and Substance Misuse” program, which oversees hotel-turned-homeless shelters and “micro-communities” across the city.

The grant only affects sites that Denver transformed into homeless shelters under Mayor Mike Johnston’s housing plan.

Those temporary, non-congregate sites are crucial to Johnston’s plan to move another 1,000 homeless people indoors this year. In 2023, the administration moved 1,135 homeless people indoors.

Johnston’s “housing first” plan has faced a fair share of “mental health first” critics.

The mayor insists that providing housing would lead to homeless people receiving the care they need.

Johnston, along with multiple city departments, applied for and expects to receive the $2 million grant via the Caring for Denver Foundation.

The local nonprofit aims to address mental health and substance abuse in Denver.

The Department of Housing Stability plans to manage $851,960 of grant funds, according to Denver’s agreement with Caring for Denver.

That money would support the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless’ mobile RV that visits each housing site once a week. The RV, which costs $425,980 a year, provides mobile behavioral and mental health support to homeless people residing at the temporary homeless shelters.

The remaining $1,148,040 will be used by the Department of Public Health and Environment and subcontractor providers.

Those providers intend to focus on peer support, group and individual therapy, and creative or non-traditional strategies that support each person’s recovery goals, the grant agreement said.

In other action Monday, the council will discuss:

• A $702,000 grant agreement with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. The grant impacts 195 households of the “Tenancy Support Services” grant program, soon to be recipients of state housing vouchers in relation to the Denver Navigation Campus.
• Separate $15 million contracts with five construction companies to provide on-call construction work on bridges, culverts and other structures citywide until March 31, 2027.
• Separate contracts with several construction companies to change the language of general civil construction services across the city. The contract changes add $20 million for a new maximum of $45 million and no new end date.