Denver Human Services outlines 2026 goals as council committee also advances youth-safety work and HIV service contracts

Denver Human Services told the City Council’s Health and Safety Committee on Wednesday that its 2026 work plan is centered on expanding access to services, improving customer well-being measures and helping Denver become a “premier city to raise a family.”

Ann Marie Bragg, the department’s executive director, said DHS is trying to cut its payment error rate by 6% this year after getting benefits-processing timeliness back to its target. She said the department also wants every customer-facing program to measure outcomes, not just output counts, and is using outreach coordinators, marketing campaigns and customer surveys to reach historically underserved neighborhoods.

“We’re here to serve Denver residents by connecting them to basic needs, protective services, and community supports to improve their well-being,” Bragg said. She said DHS is also responding to tighter city, state and federal finances by strengthening partnerships and trying to avoid duplicate work.

Bragg also pointed to federal changes under HR1, including new SNAP community-engagement requirements for some adults ages 18 to 64 and upcoming Medicaid work requirements. She said DHS is working with food pantries, Workforce Development and other partners to help residents meet the new requirements or find exemptions.

A separate committee briefing from the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation and the Office of Children’s Affairs focused on youth safety and prevention. Dr. Ben Sanders, Denver’s chief equity officer and head of OSEI, said the two offices are aligning policies, programs and resources to address root causes of violence and disconnection.

Sanders said that work includes the Mayor’s Youth Commission, a middle school youth-violence-prevention pilot and a new Community Safety Grants Program funded by a $3 million council budget amendment last year. The offices said the grants are focused on mentorship, wraparound services, mental health support and workforce development.

The committee also approved three HIV/AIDS service contracts by consent totaling about $4.53 million. The contracts go to It Takes A Village, Vivent Health and The Empowerment Program and run through Feb. 28, 2031.

The committee record describes the contracts as supporting care, treatment and other services for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Denver Transitional Grant Area. But the public record available from this meeting does not show whether the city changed funding formulas, added new performance expectations or shifted service areas among the providers.

The committee approved the contracts on consent and adjourned after the briefings and votes.