Salvation Army exit highlights strain of Denver’s homelessness experiment

By Deborah Smith | Colorado Politics

The Salvation Army will cease managing operations at three of Denver’s hotel-turned-homeless shelters after fulfilling its current contracts with the city, according to a statement from the group on Thursday.

Those contracts run through 2025.

Citing the need to ensure “financial stability,” officials from the organization said the decision affects The Aspen and Stone Creek shelters, both located on Quebec Avenue in northeast Denver, and the Tamarac Family Shelter just off Hampden Avenue and I-25.

The Salvation Army has been a pivotal part of Mayor Mike Johnston’s efforts to end homelessness in the city, Johnston spokesperson Jon Ewing told The Denver Gazette, adding that the organization stepped up to help solve one of the city’s biggest challenges.

Officials said The Salvation Army will continue to operate the Lambuth Family Center, a short-term family shelter; the Connection Center, which provides access to Salvation Army and community resources and services; the Harbor Light Center, a place for men recovering from addiction or looking to prevent a relapse; and the Crossroads Center, a 24/7 emergency shelter serving at least 250 men daily in partnership with the City.

Ewing emphasized that the three hotel shelters will not close. Instead, new service providers will take over in 2026, he said.

City officials confirmed that The Salvation Army applied to continue operations at two of the shelters — The Aspen and Tamarac — but were not selected.

“Denver’s Department of Housing Stability (HOST) has completed its scheduled procurement process for the All in Mile High (AIMH) non-congregate shelters and micro communities and is now negotiating contracts with selected providers,” said HOST spokesperson Derek Woodbury. “In compliance with procurement rules, we cannot announce 2026 operators until the process concludes in early October. We can confirm, however, that The Salvation Army will not operate AIMH non-congregate shelters in 2026.”

Ewing described the city’s parting with The Salvation Army on those contracts as amicable.

The announcement comes after months of criticism by the Denver City Council and several high-profile crime incidents, including an alleged sexual assault on a female shelter resident by a Salvation Army employee.

In July, an 11-year-old girl fell six stories from the Tamarac Family Shelter, suffering serious injuries.

Salvation Army officials said they have “shouldered” more than $5 million in shelter operating costs, with expenses for operations outpacing the funding the city set.

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