edraper, Author at Brothers Redevelopment

Brothers Redevelopment’s helpline surpasses 100,000 calls

DENVER – Brothers Redevelopment, Inc., a trusted nonprofit since 1971, has been bringing answers home to Coloradans with the Colorado Housing Connects helpline for five years. At mid-2019, we hit and surpassed the 100,000th call mark.

The Colorado Housing Connects free phone line, 1-844-926-6632, specializes in helping people navigate non-emergency housing services and resources. Our bilingual helpline provides information about a wide range of housing services and topics of interest to renters, landlords, first-time homebuyers, seniors, persons with disabilities and anyone with fair housing concerns.

Callers can receive help with all housing-related questions — from how to avoid foreclosure or eviction to the best ways to ensure that you get your security deposit back, improve credit scores, budget for home buying or handle disputes with landlords or tenants.

This one-of-a-kind housing helpline was first conceived in 2006 when the Colorado Division of Housing selected Brothers to manage The Colorado Foreclosure Hotline and its network of some 26 housing counseling agencies across the state. The successful effort drew national acclaim.

Recognizing the needs of callers for reliable information on all housing topics, Brothers expanded the service in 2014, creating the state’s unique housing resource now known as Colorado Housing Connects. This comprehensive housing helpline enables consumers to navigate with our experts through all housing concerns.

Today, the helpline receives some 2,300 calls a month and has experienced a 41 percent surge in just the past two years.

“The response to Colorado Housing Connects reflects the need among residents across our state for reliable and immediate information that helps consumers makes informed decisions about their housing situation, whatever it may be,” said Jeff Martinez, Brothers Redevelopment president. “The resources we can offer in these situations, along with the housing trends we can track and identify that are occurring in neighborhoods, towns and cities, offer real value to public officials working to address pressing housing challenges.”

Brothers uses CHC data to inform sand shape the types of counseling, classes and resources we offer the public — ensuring that we are responsive to the housing needs of diverse Coloradans.

It’s common for the housing navigators who sit in the Colorado Housing Connects call center to hear from residents in more than a third of the state’s 64 counties in any given month. They’ve responded to inquiries from towns as disparate in geography and income as Aspen and Arriba.

“Our navigators are trained to look for resources across the state, whether you live in Denver metro, rural Colorado, or anywhere in between,” says CHC manager Patrick Noonan. “We are able to help each caller explore what options might be available to them. Whether it is a tenant-landlord issue, someone looking for affordable housing, a homeowner in distress, or any other number of housing issues, our helpline can point them in the right direction.”

Colorado Housing Connects is also the gateway to all of nonprofit Brothers’ successful housing programs, including Paint-A-Thon and Home Modification and Repair, which promote and protect affordable and sustainable housing for Coloradans, and help senior and disabled families and homeowners age in place.

For more information about Brothers’ free services: www.brothersredevelopment.org.

*The City of Denver selected nonprofit Brothers to redevelop the
vacant lot at 7900 E. Colfax Ave. as a 72-unit supportive housing community.

**The Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado will provide services to help residents thrive.

Thanks to everyone who attended the community celebration Thursday night, Aug. 15, at at 7900 E. Colfax, the site of Brothers’ proposed 72-unit supportive housing community. Turnout was terrific, and the atmosphere friendly and lively with local musicians playing and neighborhood eateries serving food. Our partners with the City of Denver and Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado worked with us at the event to describe and the explain the project’s features and goals.

The event was first time we had a chance to speak directly to many of our future neighbors and fellow business owners in the area, and it served as a great introduction to Brothers and our vision for the site.

We have identified neighbors and business owners along the corridor to serve on a steering committee for the project. We’re hoping to be responsive to any and all questions or concerns that the community might have about the project. We’ll also be meeting regularly with the East Colfax Neighborhood Association.

Thanks to La Nueva Escuela de Musica, Restaurante El Tamarindo, Tacos El Sobrino and Lucy’s Ethiopian Restaurant.

Brothers Redevelopment celebrates milestone July 12 with HUD Secretary Ben Carson,
Gov. Jared Polis and Sen. Cory Gardner

AURORA, CO – Brothers Redevelopment, Inc., cut the ribbon July 12 on Paris Family Apartments, its newest affordable community, with help from HUD Secretary Ben Carson, Gov. Jared Polis, Sen. Cory Gardner and Aurora Mayor Bob LeGare.

Colorado Housing Finance Authority Executive Director Cris White also lent a hand at festivities marking a landmark achievement in housing lower-income families and providing them supportive services. Brothers president Jeff Martinez hosted the grand opening of the 39-unit Paris Family Apartments, which drew more than 100 guests, including enthusiastic Brothers’ Board of Directors and staff, for tours of the sleek modern building at 1702 Paris St.

The $13.5 million project is a model for strong local, state and federal partnership in providing affordable housing. Nonprofit housing agency Brothers developed Paris Family Apartments with the extensive creative and financial support of the City of Aurora. Paris is Brothers’ first affordable housing development in Aurora and its first funded with competitive Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).

“Every dollar pays a dividend in the form of healthier and happier families who have a better shot at a better future,” Secretary Carson said.

Paris Family Apartments’ two- and three-bedroom units are available to families with children who have household income at or below 60 percent of Average Median Income (AMI), and many have incomes at 30 percent AMI or below. Supportive services will be offered to residents.

Gov. Polis said that the goal of his administration is to save families money, which means increasing the state’s investment in affordable housing.

Sen. Gardner said every “nook and cranny” of Colorado needs more affordable housing. “If we get housing right, we make so many other problems of people (are easier to solve),” Gardner said

Paris is made possible by federal funds from HUD that are administered by several local participating jurisdictions, including the City of Aurora, Arapahoe County and the Colorado Division of Housing. Federal funds were matched by both private and philanthropic grants that helped secure Low-Income Housing Tax Credit funds issued through the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, provider of a permanent loan. Wells Fargo is the equity and construction lender.

“Every one of these partners is abundantly critical,” CHFA Director White said.

“This all had to start at the City Council level,” Mayor LeGare said. “Mayor Steve Hogan was very, very focused on the need for affordable housing. … And Brothers has been an amazing partner for this type of development. They take it from the ground up and they run with it.”

Established in 1971, Brothers Redevelopment is a nonprofit providing housing and many housing-related services to more than 5,000 low-income elderly, disabled and other households each year. Paris Family Apartments is Brothers’ 14th affordable community in the Denver Metro Area.

From the Office of Economic Development

https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/denver-office-of-economic-development/newsroom/2019/EastColfaxHousing.html

Jun 18, 2019 —

155 income-restricted rental units to be developed at two separate sites along future Bus Rapid Transit corridor:

Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO) has selected two nonprofit development partners that combined are projected to build 155 income-restricted rental units on the East Colfax corridor. The selection results from a request for proposals, issued in late 2018, to identify developers to deliver projects that meet the housing and community needs at city-owned parcels located at 8315 E. Colfax Ave., 1500 Valentia St. (adjacent to the 8315 E. Colfax parcel), and 7900 E. Colfax Ave.

DEDO has issued contingent awards to Mercy Housing Mountain Plains and Brothers Redevelopment, Inc. to develop needed housing, including supportive housing for Denver’s most vulnerable residents. Both sites were acquired by the city in 2017, with a vision for the development of new affordable housing and other uses benefitting the community. The sites are located within a quarter mile of future Bus Rapid Transit stops.

“We’re thrilled to work alongside two mission-driven nonprofit development partners to bring much-needed affordable homes and early childhood education to East Colfax,” said Britta Fisher, Chief Housing Officer of DEDO. “Through these land acquisitions and city-led development approach, we’re striving to ensure that hard-working residents and our most vulnerable can benefit from the public and private investments taking shape along East Colfax and make a home here.”

In the solicitation for the adjacent 8315 E. Colfax and 1500 Valentia properties, DEDO sought to identify a qualified development partner(s) to purchase the property and construct a successful mixed-use development including affordable rental housing and community-serving commercial uses. DEDO has selected Mercy Housing Mountain Plains to develop an estimated 83 income-restricted apartments. Additionally, Mercy Housing intends to lease the ground floor commercial space to a provider of affordable high-quality early childhood education services.

The 83 apartments will provide housing for a range of income levels of up to 80 percent of the area median income (up to $52,000 for a single-person household or $74,250 for a family of four). Initial projections call for 17 units to be affordable to residents earning up to 30 percent of the area median income (up to $19,500 for a single-person household or $27,850 for a family of four). Units will range from one to four bedrooms.

Under the award, DEDO will sell the parcels for $10 to Mercy Housing Mountain Plains, contingent upon approval by Denver City Council, in exchange for a 99-year affordability period. Mercy Housing intends to pursue state Affordable Housing Tax Credits and 4 percent federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits in 2020, with a targeted opening of the project in 2022.

“Mercy Housing is thrilled to be developing in Denver as there is substantial need for affordable housing. It’s exciting to see the City of Denver and our partners combine their efforts to provide quality affordable housing for families and early childhood education in a way that’s mutually beneficial for residents and the community. We look forward to working on this needed project for the East Colfax Community,” said Dee Walsh, EVP, Chief Officer of Strategic Development at Mercy Housing.

The 7900 E. Colfax Ave. RFP sought to identify a qualified development partner(s) to purchase the property and construct a successful supportive housing project that serves residents who previously experienced homelessness. DEDO has selected Brothers Redevelopment, Inc. (BRI) to develop supportive housing units for 72 families. With extensive experience in developing and managing affordable housing, BRI is teaming up with Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado (BIAC), an experienced service provider, to provide supportive housing and on-site services to families, with a focus on people with brain injuries who are experiencing homelessness. The development will include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. BRI will have an office on the ground floor, providing various housing and neighborhood services to the community.

Under the award, DEDO will sell the parcel for $10 to BRI, contingent upon approval by Denver City Council, in exchange for a 99-year affordability period. BRI intends to pursue 9 percent federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits in 2020, with a targeted opening of the project in 2022.

“As a long-established and trusted affordable housing provider, Brothers Redevelopment is honored to be selected as developer for this site and help some of our city’s most vulnerable residents find safety and stability through housing,” said Jeff Martinez, President of Brothers Redevelopment. “We’re excited to work with Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado to build the first-of-its-kind community in the state to serve individuals with acquired brain injury. A brain injury can impact a person’s performance in school or work and lead to lifelong physical and cognitive disabilities, and place them at risk for homelessness.”

In addition to providing land for the future housing sites, DEDO intends to provide gap financing to each partner following the awarding of tax credits. Gap financing greater than $500,000 will be subject to Denver City Council approval.

Denver City Council approved a rezoning of these three parcels last year, allowing for a greater density of up to five stories.

More information on these project proposals will be presented by the developer teams and DEDO at the East Colfax Registered Neighborhood Organization meeting, July 16, 2019, at 6:30 p.m. at Counterpath, 7935 E. 14^th Ave.

https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/dedevelopment/newsroom/2019/LandTrusts.html

City and County of Denver
Denver Economic Development & Opportunity

May 30, 2019 –

Contracts totaling $5.5 Million, supporting land trusts and long-term affordable home ownership, to be introduced to City Council in the coming weeks for approval

The City and County of Denver announced today a groundbreaking new partnership that will create dozens of new affordable homes for purchase and will keep them affordable for the next century. Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO) has negotiated pending contracts with three housing partners, which in total will create 79 affordable home ownership units citywide for moderate-income households, and, following months of work alongside the Globeville, Elyria-Swansea (GES) Affordable Housing Collaborative and their partners, will make possible land acquisition for future construction of multifamily affordable housing in the GES neighborhoods. Through a land trust model, the majority of these units will be permanently affordable through a 99-year ground lease.

“Working families make up the backbone of our city and these partnerships will make it possible for people to purchase an affordable home for generations to come,” Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “These agreements are the result of months of work to find the right solution for our neighborhoods to address their housing needs while maintaining the essential fabric of these communities.”

Proposed investments totaling $5.5 million will create long-term affordable homeownership opportunities throughout the city, while placing a targeted focus on the GES neighborhoods. The City worked with the GES Coalition for several months to develop a model that adds multifamily affordable housing and ensures the units are permanently affordable through a 99-year ground lease.

In addition to the GES Affordable Housing Collaborative, proposed contract partners also include Elevation Community Land Trust, and Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. The pending agreements largely call for the acquisition of existing properties, which would then be refurbished prior to sale to households earning up to 80 percent of the area median income (up to $52,000 for a single-person household, or up to $66,850 for a family of three).

Exploring the land trust concept is a key recommendation of the city’s five-year housing plan, Housing an Inclusive Denver. Community land trusts involve a local nonprofit acquiring a parcel of land and pledging to use it for purposes that benefit the neighborhood, including affordable housing. The nonprofit builds a home on the land and sells it to someone in need. The nonprofit retains ownership of the land that the house sits on, leasing it to the homeowner for a designated time period, typically 99 years.

A pending contract with Elevation Community Land Trust provides $3 million to support the development of 60 income-restricted homeownership units citywide, with the exception of the GES neighborhoods. Elevation will acquire properties to be placed into a land trust to ensure permanent affordability for a minimum of 99 years. Properties may include vacant land, existing single-family homes targeted for rehabilitation, and multifamily properties, ranging from two to ten units, to be converted to affordable condominiums.

“In the face of gentrification and increasingly out of reach home prices, the community land trust model is a tool to prevent displacement and provide economic opportunity to hardworking families who want to stay in the neighborhoods they love. Elevation Community Land Trust looks forward to working alongside the City of Denver in ensuring there is a home and an opportunity for everyone,” said Stefka Fanchi, CEO of Elevation Community Land Trust.

A pending $2 million contract with the GES Affordable Housing Collaborative, which consists of Brothers Redevelopment, Inc., the GES Coalition and the Colorado Community Land Trust supports land acquisition of one site within GES, suitable for development of a multitude of multifamily housing units. Additionally, the contract supports production of nine income-restricted homes in the GES neighborhoods, each of which would be placed into the Colorado Community Land Trust for at least 99 years.

“Brothers Redevelopment is honored to work alongside the City of Denver and our partners in the GES Affordable Housing Collaborative, including the Colorado Community Land Trust and the GES Coalition, as we work together to create new affordable housing options for the residents of Globeville, Elyria-Swansea,” said Jeff Martinez, president of Brothers Redevelopment. “Leveraging this historic investment and working together to establish a new community land trust for residents of these proud and historic neighborhoods, we can maintain long-term affordability, prevent displacement of multigenerational families, and promote stability throughout the community.”

A pending $485,000 contract with Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver will support the acquisition and refurbishing of 10 homes for future affordable for-sale housing. Long-term affordability will be ensured through a 90-year restricted covenant.

“Habitat for Humanity has been building and preserving affordable homeownership in Denver for 40 years,” shares Heather Lafferty, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. “We know how impactful long-term affordable homeownership can be for families, neighborhoods, and entire communities. With this important funding from the City of Denver, we’re excited to preserve even more affordable housing for hardworking, income-qualified families.”

The partnerships with Elevation Community Land Trust and the GES Affordable Housing Collaborative require approval by Denver City Council prior to implementation. Contracts are anticipated to be presented to City Council in the coming weeks.

“These partnerships go a long way toward preserving affordable home ownership opportunities throughout Denver,” said Britta Fisher, Chief Housing Officer of DEDO. “These proposed investments build upon our existing housing partnerships and will surely serve as a model upon which we can expand future homeownership opportunities.”

FROM:

Derek Woodbury
O: 720.913.1608
M: 303.895.6845
derek.woodbury@denvergov.org

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*CDOT awarded Brothers a $2 million grant to preserve the historic GES neighborhood amid Interstate-70 expansion

**Brothers’ Home Modification and Repair is fixing what’s broken!

***Paint-A-Thon volunteers making a difference here!

DENVER, April 25 — Alongside the disruption of construction and the tangles of traffic with I-70’s overhaul, good things are also happening for residents in Globeville Elyria-Swansea, as nonprofit Brothers Redevelopment Inc. works to preserve and stabilize their neighborhoods.

Beginning in mid-March and building momentum this April, Brothers has begun protecting and prettifying GES homes with its volunteer-powered Paint-A-Thon exterior makeovers and its Home Modification and Repair pros.

This Saturday, April 27, the Peña home at 4975 Steele Street in Denver gets a shiny coat of paint from a Paint-A-Thon volunteer team made up of alumni from the University of Central Florida. Mr. Peña has been a real team player, and we’re grateful to him for helping us get the word out that Brothers is on the ground to help out homeowners in this distinctive historical neighborhood.

Richard and Mary Ellen Pena have lived in their GES neighborhood their whole lives. They love their home, yard, garden and neighbors. Richard worked in the trades his entire life until a serious back injury disabled him.

Between blizzards in March, Brothers harnessed the power of students on spring break to paint the Montoya home in a GES Paint-A-Thon. We have another GES project already on the books for May 18 with 25 volunteers leaving the bench and bar for a Saturday Paint-A-Thon. When not sprucing up homes, this volunteer crew, the Rhone Brackett Inn of Court, promotes ethics, skills and professionalism in the legal field.

Brothers invested almost $10,000 to make over a bathroom for Mrs. Medina, a senior resident with a long history in this neighborhood. And, elsewhere in the area, HMR is hard at work improving overall conditions and safety in the basement of another elderly neighbor’s home.

This is just the start for Brothers. We are planning more projects, tapping the $2 million grant that the Colorado Department of Transportation awarded us to help prevent displacement of GES residents.

Brothers is part of the GES Affordable Housing Collaborative, a partnering with community members in the GES Coalition and the Colorado Community Land Trust (CCLT).

The generous $2 million CDOT grant awarded Brothers is for mitigation of impacts due to the expansion of Interstate 70 through the neighborhoods. It enables the collaborative to acquire single-family homes for placement in the neighborhood land trust, by which residents may own their dwellings and even resell them, while the land itself remains in trust for the community.
The partners will set aside an estimated $300,000 to rehabilitate houses and preserve the hard-earned equity of existing homeowners.
Other portions of the grant will be applied toward new construction/redevelopment of parcels/properties that also will provide affordable housing for dozens of families in the neighborhood.

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We’re not shutting down just because winter keeps rearing its snowy head.

With spring and weather winter taking turns this March, Paint-A-Thon’s volunteer crews mobilized and were in shirtsleeves on sunny Tuesday doing what we do best — making over a home’s exterior in one day. Before Wednesday’s blizzard. And we are back to work again.

Paint-A-Thon, one part of nonprofit Brothers Redevelopment’s Aging in Place Initiative, is working to keep older Coloradans and persons with disabilities in their homes, where they want to be.

Our Paint-A-Thon homeowner on Tuesday, Stella Montoya, has lived in her GES neighborhood for more than 44 years. The former cafeteria manager at Garden Place Academy in Globeville is currently the primary caregiver for her disabled son and her grandson. Widowed four years ago, she is holding the family together in the neighborhood she loves.

Stella is concerned with the magnitude of potential change that commercial development and reconstruction of Interstate 70 will bring about in her neighborhood. But she is a proud resident and has chosen to stay, despite many of her neighbors and family members moving away.

While most Paint-A-Thon volunteers are from the Denver area, they hail from all over. Dordt College volunteer teams are here on spring break from Sioux Center, Iowa, because they know a few days spent with Brothers’ Paint-A-Thon will make great positive changes in Stella’s and others’ lives that will last for many years to come. And they have fun.

And Brothers’ efforts in Globeville Elyria-Swansea don’t end with exterior house painting. Brothers received a $2 million grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation in late 2018 to preserve and protect historic working-class neighborhoods in Globeville Elyria-Swansea. Our Home Modification and Repair program will help with essential repairs as well as safety and access modifications for residents in these neighborhoods.

Brothers also joined in forming the innovative GES Affordable Housing Collaborative with community members in the GES Coalition and the Colorado Community Land Trust. The collaborative will acquire homes for placement in the neighborhood land trust and develop other single- and multifamily housing. This effort will provide attainable homes for dozens of families while maintaining the neighborhood’s character and local control.

A little help in GES — and all over Brothers’ Front Range service area — goes a long way toward keeping people in their homes, maintaining property and property values and boosting the whole community.

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DENVER– The Apartment Association of Metro Denver (AAMD) and housing nonprofit Brothers Redevelopment are bringing together property owners, housing experts and prospective tenants to forge solid new partnerships over the next year.

Thanks to AAMD’s generous grant of $5,000 in early December, and Brothers Redevelopment’s expertise in making homes attainable for Denver Metro residents, the collaboration promises to bring practical solutions to a challenging rental market.

“We’re always looking for ways to build strong relationships within our community,” said Nancy Burke, vice president of government affairs. “Brothers Redevelopment’s growing success with its Landlords Opening Doors (LOD) initiative demonstrates that strategic thinking and great representation can carry residents across new thresholds.”

Through LOD, Brothers Redevelopment works with the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Finance and with the Colorado Division of Housing to recruit landlords and property owners willing to rent their apartments or homes to individuals with housing vouchers.

“Today’s housing market is challenging, but we are working on ways to decrease uncertainty and problems for landlords and property managers,” said Jeff Martinez, president of Brothers Redevelopment. “We are entirely committed to removing barriers to attainable housing for Colorado’s vulnerable population. This partnership is a win for our communities.”

Brothers Redevelopment’s track record in making successful connections between landlords and renter-ready tenants has enabled it to develop an even bigger pipeline for voucher programs dedicated to removing barriers to housing for vulnerable populations.

Through their partnership, the Apartment Association of Metro Denver and Brothers Redevelopment will also help renters understand their rights and responsibilities. AAMD and Brothers Redevelopment’s housing navigators will work together to develop best practices for matching diverse residents with properties and creating successful and stable leasing arrangements. Brothers Redevelopment’s deep experience in consumer and specialized housing education — and experience as an administrator of Denver’s Temporary Rent and Utility Assistance program — will provide insight for landlords into potential tenants as well as resources and expertise.

Conversely, Brothers Redevelopment’s housing navigators are eager to hear from landlords and property managers about their goals, needs and concerns. The housing navigators are working in conjunction with AAMD educational offerings to assist landlords who may seek additional education or advice on a variety of topics.

This promises to be a valuable and innovative collaboration that could go a long way toward making housing attainable for more Front Range residents as well as prepare apartment-seekers to be better tenants, ultimately creating an underlying foundation of trust and understanding in our community for both renters and landlords.

About the Apartment Association of Metro Denver

The Apartment Association of Metro Denver is among the largest multifamily housing trade associations in the country, representing and supporting over 336,000 apartment homes in Denver.

For more information about AAMD, please visit aamdhq.org.

Colorado Housing Connects statewide helpline turns 5

Community celebration for proposed housing at 7900 E. Colfax

Grand Opening of Paris Family Apartments in Aurora

City Selects Development Partners to Build Affordable Housing Projects on East Colfax

From the Office of Economic Development

Denver to introduce land trust and long-term affordable homeownership partners

Nonprofit Brothers Redevelopment’s crews at work on the ground in GES

Paint-A-Thon’s 41st season underway in Globeville Elyria-Swansea

Apartment Association of Metro Denver and Brothers Redevelopment Join Forces to Knock Down Housing Barriers