Denver proposes cuts to homelessness work program, fair-housing contract

Denver’s Department of Housing Stability is proposing to remove funding for Denver Day Works and not renew its contract with the Denver Metro Fair Housing Center. The changes would reduce city support for work experience and employment services for people experiencing homelessness, and for help addressing housing discrimination.

The mayor’s September draft budget removes $550,000 in one-time funding for Denver Day Works. At a Sept. 24 City Council budget hearing, Department of Housing Stability Executive Director Cole Chandler said the department was not seeing the employment outcomes it wanted and that the program had not spent all its contract funds.

Denver Day Works provides low-barrier work experience for adults experiencing or at risk of homelessness, along with connections to benefits navigation and employment services, according to Bayaud Enterprises’ program listing. Chandler also cited a separate employment partnership that he said had better results.

The department also plans not to renew its $100,000 contract with the Denver Metro Fair Housing Center. The center describes its work as including fair-housing education, advocacy and investigations of alleged discrimination across seven Denver-area counties.

In response to council questions about alternatives, Deputy Director Jeff Kazytski pointed to $272,000 for housing navigation and counseling services similar to some the center provides. He did not say whether that funding would replace the contract or provide equivalent access to fair-housing investigations and enforcement.

At the hearing, HOST did not provide figures for Day Works’ employment outcomes or unspent funds, or specific measures behind its concerns about the center’s performance. The changes remain proposals in the 2027 budget process, not a final City Council budget action.