Denver City Council Approves $2.73 Million Grant on Oct. 19, Extending STAR Crisis Response Program Citywide Through July 2027
The Denver City Council on Oct. 19 approved a $2,734,639 agreement accepting the Caring for Denver Foundation's Care Over Incarceration grant to continue the STAR program, the Support Team Assisted Response program, citywide through fiscal 2026-27. According to the council record, the grant support period runs through July 31, 2027, and the council passed it en bloc by an 11-0 vote with one member absent.
The STAR program dispatches teams of professionals to low-risk calls involving mental health, substance use and homelessness, rather than sending police by default. A separate $2,837,767.92 contract with Denver Health and Hospital Authority covers STAR's EMTs, paramedics and vans through Dec. 31, 2027; the council ordered the bill published on Oct. 19 but has not yet given final approval.
Together, the two arrangements give STAR stable funding and staffing for more than a year ahead, as the city hopes to keep handling community crisis calls in a more appropriate way.
Related: Denver Seeks $40,000 Increase to Salvation Army Rapid Resolution Contract Through 2027
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 丹佛市县大楼 / Denver City and County Building. Photo: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
