Three contracts for homeless shelter services by The Salvation Army totaling just over $19 million were approved by a 7-3 vote of the Denver City Council on Monday.

The contracts for $4.2 million, $8 million and $7 million will provide programmatic services to three of the city’s largest homeless shelters – Stone Creek, 4595 Quebec St.; The Tamarac Family Center,7525 E. Hampden Ave., and The Aspen at 4040 Quebec St, respectively.

“We thank the Denver City Council for their continued trust in our work,” Jennifer Forker, spokesperson for The Salvation Army, told The Denver Gazette. “Sheltering our most vulnerable and challenging neighbors is the work The Salvation Army has long been called to do.”

The Salvation Army, which has come under scrutiny from some city officials as well as former employees and residents, has said that the “sheer volume” of Denver’s homeless demand has been a challenge.

“I’ve spoken to The Salvation Army and they have shared that they don’t have the capacity to run the shelters in the way in which they would like to,” District 8 Councilmember Shontel Lewis said. “And in fact, it’s out of scope for what they do in terms of their mastery.”

While some have called for the cancellation of The Salvation Army’s contracts, others have questioned how the city would replace the faith-based charity organization.

Should the city opt to “hold” the contracts, At-large Councilmember Sarah Parady said there are alternatives.

While keeping city shelters open would be “challenging,” it could still be done.

“To me, the backstop possibility is always that if an operator is no longer running a particular shelter, then, folks who may have been working for that operator and may therefore be out of work, could conceivably be hired to continue running that (shelter) by the city for a period of time, if necessary,” Parody said. “And, although difficult, that is a practice that we should take seriously and consider when we’re hearing safety concerns at these sites.”

Lewis has repeatedly requested that contracts for shelter services not be extended, but instead be presented in a manner that allows for evaluation of services for the previous performance period.

“I’ve already shared that I have lost confidence in The Salvation Army to be able to provide the services that I believe that my constituents deserve in my district, and thus I will not be supporting this contract or any Salvation Army contract moving forward,” Lewis said.

Two of the three contracts approved on Monday were extensions of previous agreements.

“Despite false claims and misinformation made by individuals with personal grievances, we remain focused on serving our neighbors in need in Denver,” Forker added. “Every day The Salvation Army shelters up to 1,800 people, including at least 300 children — work no one else stepped up to do — and we do it with professionalism and care. We remain steadfast: with open hands, compassionate hearts, and a deep sense of purpose.”