Denver council panel advances ARPA transfer for family shelter capital work
City staff asked to shift about $1 million in unspent federal pandemic aid as Denver works to spend its remaining ARPA dollars before the end of 2026.
Denver city staff asked a City Council committee Tuesday to reallocate about $1 million in unspent American Rescue Plan Act money for family shelter capital improvements, part of a broader effort to use remaining federal pandemic aid before the end-of-2026 deadline, according to the Finance and Business Committee video and the committee’s official minutes.
The proposal, Council Bill 26-0926, would move money from Denver’s ARPA Operating Grant Fund to its ARPA Capital Grant Fund for HOST micro-communities projects, according to the minutes. Staff said in the meeting video that the shift would free up existing capital improvement program dollars for family shelter improvements.
Staff also told council members the move would not reduce planned shelter services. In the video presentation, they said the ARPA request was for one-time capital improvements, while service funding would remain in the city’s homelessness resolution fund.
The public committee record does not identify a specific family shelter site. Staff said in the video that site identification, community engagement and a future service contract would come later.
Staff said in the video that Denver received $308 million in ARPA money, had spent about $298 million and had a little under $11 million left. They also said all of the remaining funds must be spent by Dec. 31, 2026, or returned to the federal government.
The Finance and Business Committee voted 6-0 to approve the bill for filing, with Councilmember Chris Hinds absent, according to the minutes. Staff said in the video the expected next steps were filing on July 9 and full council consideration on July 13.
The record does not establish the exact shelter project that would benefit or the precise ARPA balance after the transfer.