With a 9-4 vote, Denver City Council members approved a new $30 million, three-year contract with Urban Alchemy, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, to run The Aspen, a former DoubleTree Hotel that has been turned into a homeless shelter.
More than two hours of discussion focused on the contract and the new service provider, selected by the city through a competitive bidding process.
Among the council’s concerns were media reports questioning the nonprofit’s finances and oversight practices in San Francisco, Austin, Texas, and other cities where it has worked…