DENVER – Denver has approved short-term contracts with two large private corrections companies to run halfway houses after abruptly rejecting longer term deals earlier this month.

City councilors unanimously backed spending $8.7 million on a six-month contract with GEO Group and a yearlong contract with CoreCivic on Monday. That allows about 500 people to continue living in halfway houses and avoid being sent back to jail or prison as the city looks for alternatives to using the companies.

A majority of councilors don’t want to do business with GEO and CoreCivic because they also run immigration detention centers. Some also object to having for-profit companies do the work of helping inmates transition back to regular life.

Zoning restrictions currently prevent any new halfway houses from opening.