The El Paso nonprofit, Recovery Alliance, has been providing services to veterans since 2005, but its shelter was to be the first stand alone shelter just for veterans in city limits.

The organization says it spent months meeting the local U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs's demands. The VA says it still wasn't enough.

Back in February, the Casa Vida here on Hueco was set to go -- at least by the city's standards..

"The city of El Paso has granted us a lodging license, which is the same type of license we would get if we were operating a hotel," said Ben Bass, executive director of the recovery alliance.

The shelter, made possible by the Recovery Alliance, is dedicated to serving homeless vets suffering from addiction. The shelter can house and feed up to nearly 100 vets, but it won't be able to provide those services it had once hoped to.

"We were hoping that this contract would allow us to expand our services to more veterans," said Jose Castrellon, president-elect of the board of directors for Recovery Alliance.

Recovery Alliance tells KFOX 14 Veterans Affairs inspectors didn't inspect the building until a few months after the city gave the place its OK, and the VA failed the shelter on 14 different items.

"They gave us a list of those things that needed to be brought up to their standards, and we had taken care of those," said Castrellon.

The issue, gaining attention from congressman elect Beto O'Rourke.

O'Rourke also suggesting to take a good look at the exact process that ultimately declined the extension of the contract.

Recovery Alliance says it spent more than $100,000 in donated labor, money and materials to meet standards it says sometimes went too far.

"I know that things happen for a reason. I know that God has a plan, I just don't know what it is," said Bass.

"I would urge the VA to consider a provisional contract to extend the contract that's already in place. So that these veterans have a place to go to, and they can be taken care of," said congressman elect Beto O'Rourke.

"We expanded all the resources that this organization has acting in good faith, to comply with what the VA wanted," said Bass.

Once those items were taken care of, Veterans Affairs came back with more. It included questions of the validity of a pest -control statement saying there were no bugs and concerns about the thoroughness of the Fire Department's inspection. On September 25. Veterans Affairs decided not to renew the contract with the Recovery Alliance.El Paso's local VA office wouldn't comment on specifics, nor would it go on camera to explain why. Instead, they tell KFOX 14 in a statement:

"The El Paso VA had a contractual agreement with El Paso Alliance to provide emergency bed shelter for our homeless Veterans. In the Spring, El Paso Alliance moved physical location. The new location was inspected numerous times and deficiencies were identified. Despite both parties working hard to solve the issues, safety concerns remained. Because we are unable to compromise on the safety of our Veterans, the El Paso VA allowed the contract to expire at the end of September.

"The El Paso VA works with a number of community partners to provide services to our homeless Veterans. A team of social workers and mental health staff work with each Veteran to determine the best fit. Veterans may be eligible for VA-subsidized housing which includes case management. Grants through the VA's Supportive Service for Veteran Families program can provide funding for temporary housing and other services. The El Paso VA worked with other community partners to establish the Veterans Transitional Living Center which provides stable housing and access to healthcare for homeless Veterans. Our staff coordinate with other community partners to identify emergency beds on any given night.

"We will be looking to establish a new contract for emergency shelter beds in El Paso and welcome all community partners, who meet our safety requirements and are interested, to participate in that process. We estimate that the solicitation will go out around the end of this year."

Any homeless veteran, family member or friend who needs assistance is encouraged to make the call -- dial 1-877-4AID-VET, where access to the VA's services for homeless and at-risk veterans is available 24/7.