Aging in Place - Brothers Redevelopment

2023 was a year of groundbreaking initiatives, colorful transformations, and unwavering support for our community from Brothers Redevelopment.

We started the year with ambitious goals, fueled by our belief that everyone deserves a safe, decent place to live. We ventured into uncharted territories as we proudly unveiled Valor on the Fax — the nation’s only affordable housing community crafted for individuals with acquired brain injuries or related disabilities. And we tackled complex housing challenges head-on. From aiding those on the brink of housing insecurity to assisting older adults in maintaining their homes through essential repairs and modifications, we navigated through complexities with dedication and compassion.

The 42,277 individuals we had the privilege to serve this year are far more than mere statistics. They are families who got to keep their housing, individuals rediscovering hope and purpose, and older adults enjoying an enhanced quality of life.

As always, we at Brothers Redevelopment are thankful for the support of our partners, volunteers, donors, and others who allowed us to move onward and upward in 2023. Here’s a glimpse into some of the highlights that made our year so special.

Unveiling Valor on the Fax: A Milestone Celebration for Affordable Housing and Trauma-Informed Design

*Brothers Redevelopment President Jeff Martinez (middle) cuts the ribbon for Valor on the Fax, our newest affordable housing community for people with acquired brain injury and related disability.*

A cornerstone of our year was the May unveiling of Valor on the Fax where our dedicated team, community leaders and valued partners/supporters gathered to celebrate the opening of the community.

TV cameras swarmed the rooftop patio of Valor to document the incredible milestone in Colorado’s housing landscape as figures like Brothers President Jeff Martinez, Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado CEO Kate Kerkmans, and others took center stage, articulating the pressing need for this revolutionary affordable housing complex. Shortly after, crowds swarmed to the front of Valor where Martinez and others finally cut the ribbon to open the new, 72-unit building.

Valor on the Fax, located at 7900 E. Colfax Ave., is the result of a collaboration between Brothers and the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado. The supportive housing community provides services to tenants, their families, and providers while employing trauma informed design — meaning the building was designed to reduce symptoms of brain injury.

Our tenants at the community receive comprehensive services from the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado, like resource navigation, job training, and recreational and wellness activities. Tenants also receive housing resources from Brothers like rent and utility assistance, homebuyer classes, and much more.

To learn more about this transformative community, visit http://valoronthefax.com/.

Brothers Property Management Expands Affordable Housing Impact Across Colorado, Welcoming New Communities in 2023

In 2023, Brothers Property Management’s portfolio grew to offer more than 1,000 affordable units to families, youth experiencing homelessness, low-income older adults, and other Coloradans in need of affordable housing. Pictured is Greenway Flats at 31 W. Las Vegas St. in Colorado Springs which holds 65 units of permanent affordable housing for chronically homeless men and women. Brothers Property Management began overseeing Greenway Flats this year.

Our commitment to affordable housing reached new heights this year that extended beyond the opening of Valor on the Fax, thanks to our dedicated staff at Brothers Property Management.

This past year, Brothers Property Management’s portfolio has grown to offer more than 1,000 affordable units to families, youth experiencing homelessness, low-income older adults, and other Coloradans in need of affordable housing. In 2023, we were awarded new property management contracts to manage additional affordable housing communities in Aurora, Boulder, Denver, Lakewood, and Colorado Springs.

Notable new communities Brothers Property Management began overseeing this year include Alameda View Apartments, Greenway Flats, and SPARKwest.

Alameda View Apartments — located at 15501 E. Alameda Parkway in Aurora — is a 116-unit, Low Income Housing Tax Credit family community. Meanwhile, Greenway Flats at 31 W. Las Vegas St. in Colorado Springs holds 65 units of permanent affordable housing for chronically homeless men and women. And finally, SPARKwest in Boulder at 3215 Bluff St., boasts 45 units of permanent affordable housing.

Looking ahead, Brothers Redevelopment is preparing to bring a permanent supportive housing community to Arapahoe County that will provide housing and services to unhoused clients of the 18th judicial district problem solving courts, the Arapahoe County Pretrial Mental Health Program, Diversion clients of the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the Probation Mental Health Program, Project SAFER, Veterans Treatment Court, jail re-entry, and defendants being restored to competency.

Paint-A-Thon and Home Modification and Repair Services Continue to Thrive

*Brothers Redevelopment’s 45-year-old Paint-A-Thon Program painted 116 houses for older/disabled adults in 2023.*

With every house we paint and every repair/modification we conduct, we’re not just enhancing physical spaces — we’re creating havens where families flourish and individuals thrive.

Thanks to the work of 2,621 volunteers, our Paint-A-Thon Program transformed 116 houses for low-income/disabled older adults in need. That is the most houses we have painted since 2019 when we also completed 116 projects through the service.

Simultaneously, our Home Modification and Repair Program expanded its reach into new jurisdictions, including Firestone, Boulder County, and beyond. This program, the longest of its kind in Colorado, is a vital force in preserving the homes of our older adults, allowing them to age gracefully. We completed 515 repairs/modifications in 2023, saving our clients more than $2 million.

Our Home Modification and Repair Program also further expanded the services we offer by introducing the Community Aging in Place, Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) Program to Medicaid recipients in South Colorado Springs and Park, Teller, and El Paso counties. This zero-cost program is a client-directed home-based intervention designed to enhance mobility, function and the capacity to age in place.

CAPABLE consists of time-limited services in a series of visits from an occupational therapist, a registered nurse, and a technician from Brothers who work in collaboration with the program participant. Over a four-to-six-month period, these individuals visit the participant’s home.

A key component of this approach is having the participant drive the goal setting. The participant brainstorms strategies with team members to arrive at preferred ways to reach goals. Each action builds on the previous visits and focuses on the participants’ capacity to function at home.

If you or a loved one is interested in the CAPABLE Program, visit https://brothersredevelopment.org/capable/.

Colorado Housing Connects: Bridging Financial Gaps and Fostering Stability Amidst Housing Challenges

A Colorado Housing Connects housing counselor teaches a homebuyer education workshop. Colorado Housing Connects offers several free housing classes to help residents understand how to find affordable housing, eviction prevention webinars, and homebuyer education workshops.

For many Coloradans, the thought of paying rent or mortgage brought anxiety and fear due to inflation, soaring housing prices, and the end of several pandemic-born assistance programs. But thankfully, our most vulnerable neighbors knew to turn to a valuable resource that has served the community through crisis after crisis.

Our statewide housing helpline, Colorado Housing Connects (1-844-926-6632), continued to show its value by serving 31,704 people in 2023. Our dedicated housing navigators and housing counselors connected clients to financial assistance, eviction/foreclosure prevention resources, and much more in 60 of Colorado’s 64 counties.

Through a variety of in-house resources, Colorado Housing Connects strived to advance housing stability throughout the state. We offered housing classes to help residents understand how to find affordable housing, eviction prevention webinars, and homebuyer education workshops. And we also provided tenant-landlord mediation assistance to nearly 600 households in Adams and Denver counties, helping to divert parties away from court-sanctioned eviction proceedings and to work toward mutually agreed alternatives between renters and landlords.

Outside of the incredible achievements by our Colorado Housing Connects team, our rental/mortgage assistance team worked tirelessly to distribute financial assistance to struggling Coloradans.

This year, Brothers provided nearly $9 million in rental, mortgage, and utility assistance to renters and homeowners throughout the state. We administered funds for several rental/mortgage assistance programs, including the City of Denver’s Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance Program and the City’s Foreclosure Financial Assistance Program. Additionally, our commitment extended statewide, contributing financial assistance to Coloradans offered through Colorado’s Emergency Rental Assistance and Emergency Mortgage Assistance programs.

We know rental/mortgage assistance is more than just that — we are assisting livelihoods and creating housing stability for all Coloradans.

Empowering Lives, Unlocking Savings: Brothers’ Aging in Place Program Redefines Well-being for Older Adult Households

Brothers Redevelopment’s Aging in Place Program orchestrated an impressive $1,481,725 in cost savings, redefining well-being for our older adult clients. This figure captures the monthly benefits and services provided to our clients.

The monumental success of Brothers’ Aging in Place older adults services program is epitomized by its unparalleled impact on cost savings for older adult households.

This year, the Aging in Place Program has orchestrated an impressive $1,481,725 in cost savings, redefining well-being for our older adult clients. This figure captures the monthly benefits and services seamlessly provided to clients, resulting in a remarkable cumulative savings.

At the core of this service is the commitment to connect older adults with invaluable resources such as Medicaid, Social Security, food assistance, and rental/mortgage aid. These benefits and services, inherent rights for our clients, often eluded their grasp due to a lack of information. By bridging this knowledge gap, our program not only unlocks essential resources but more significantly, empowers older adults to claim the financial support they rightfully deserve. In doing so, Brothers’ Aging in Place Program stands as a beacon of empowerment, ushering in awareness, accessibility, and substantial savings for the older adults we proudly serve.

Brothers Redevelopment’s Visionary Path Forward: Unveiling the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan for Holistic Housing Solutions Across Colorado

To kickoff 2023, Brothers released its 2022-2027 Strategic Plan, outlining four strategic priorities and fulfilling our vision of employing a holistic approach to eliminating barriers to stable housing for low-income community members, older adults and people living with disabilities across Colorado.

The strategic priorities of the plan include:

Growing a strong and stable presence across Colorado by responding to housing needs along the I-25 corridor; working with state and local leaders to identify gaps in services across the state; and focusing on housing challenges that Brothers is positioned to address.
Serving our neighbors through reliable and innovative programs by expanding in the provision and development of affordable housing; expanding the number of units that Brothers Property Management oversees to maximize revenue and build out the department’s capacity to facilitate growth and complexity in the portfolio; identifying opportunities for Brothers program expansion that will lend to enhance service provision and spur new opportunities for future funding/revenue; continuing to build and maintain capacity for strong stewardship; and helping marginalized and excluded communities gain access to stable housing.
Broadening our funding base by focusing on self-sustaining programs and diversifying our grants base and other funding sources.
Investing in and recognizing our team by increasing unifying activities for our staff; providing flexibility to accommodate varying employee needs in a changing workplace; and committing to inclusivity.

This new plan takes into account and builds upon the tremendous organizational growth and trends we’ve experienced since 2017 to lead us into a new era of impact that will see Brothers help tens of thousands of Coloradans in the near future.

The planning process was the most comprehensive of its kind in Brothers Redevelopment’s 52-year history and was meant to incorporate the views of various stakeholders to guide the implementation of our mission. Each priority has individual goals and metrics to measure progress. Those metrics will be evaluated with our Board of Directors monthly to ensure we are on track to meet the priorities of the plan and identify any areas of improvement.

Brothers Redevelopment was thrilled to welcome Denver City Councilwoman Amanda P. Sandoval to Sheridan Glen Senior Apartments where she met with some of the affordable housing community’s tenants.

Sandoval visited Sheridan Glen, one of Brothers Redevelopment’s 24 affordable housing communities, on Aug. 30 where she listened to our residents’ concerns about a bus stop near the property, walkability in the surrounding area, and more. The councilwoman’s visit was made possible thanks to one of our resident service coordinators who scheduled the meeting after hearing from tenants about their fears when using the nearby bus stop.

“It was an honor to welcome Councilwoman Sandoval to Sheridan Glen. Her genuine engagement and compassionate interaction with our residents shows the positive impact of community leadership,” said Brothers Redevelopment President Jeff Martinez.

Resource navigation is only a step away for low-income older adults, families, and others at seven Brothers Property Management affordable housing communities.

At our Aurora, Westminster, Denver, and Edgewater communities, Brothers Property Management employs resident service coordinators who help our tenants access educational and supportive services that can help them in achieving their housing and service needs. Those services can include getting access to food, transportation, health care, federal and state benefits, clothing, and other necessities that help our residents thrive.

So far this year, our resident service coordinators have provided our tenants with $110,282 in cost savings — meaning our tenants received monthly benefits or services that amounted to $110,282.

Brothers Redevelopment’s Aging in Place Program also offers similar services to the general community at no charge. The program connects older adults to government benefits and resources our clients are entitled to and provided $1.5 million in cost savings last year.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the Aging in Place Program, call Colorado Housing Connects at 1-844-926-6632 or visit brothersredevelopment.org.

Throughout 2022, Brothers Redevelopment helped our neighbors across Colorado find solutions to their housing-related needs.

Once again, our organization prevented evictions and foreclosures across the state; saved older adults millions of dollars in cost savings from our Aging in Place senior services program; expanded Colorado’s largest and longest Home Modification and Repair Program; painted smiles on dozens of older adults through the Paint-A-Thon Program; saw the generosity of Coloradans through Kyle Clark’s Word of Thanks campaign on 9News; built and preserved affordable housing; and much, much more.

As we close out the year, here’s a look back at our accomplishments and milestones from 2022.

Brothers provides millions of dollars across the state to vulnerable renters

The world appeared to return to as normal as possible in 2022 — but the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, combined with societal challenges like inflation, pricey rents, and an affordable housing shortage left many Coloradans in need of help.

Staff tasked with providing Rental and Mortgage Assistance answered the call and went above and beyond to keep Coloradans housed during tough economic times. This year, Brothers administered funds for rental assistance services programs, including Colorado’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program and the City of Denver’s Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance Program.

From June 2021 to November, Brothers provided over $9 million in rental assistance to 1,658 households in the state through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. In Denver, the organization provided $396,797 in rental assistance and $15,682 in utility funds through the city’s Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance Program from January to September.

“You helped us over and over again this year. And frankly, we wouldn’t have survived this odd time without your help,” said Wendy Muhaisen — a resident who benefited from Brothers’ rental assistance services all throughout 2022.

Colorado Housing Connects (1-844-926-6632) expands services while receiving recognition at Eagle Awards

These past few years have been very busy for Brothers’ statewide housing helpline, Colorado Housing Connects. But the helpline’s staff and housing counseling teams continued to work incredibly hard to advance housing stability across the state.

In 2022, Colorado Housing Connects proved to be an effective resource for Coloradans as the helpline received 50,670 inquiries from 60 of Colorado’s 64 counties. Coloradans received assistance with eviction/foreclosure prevention, tenant-landlord issues, housing counseling services, housing discrimination issues, and more.

Meanwhile, the helpline further equipped itself to address the region’s housing needs by launching tenant-landlord mediation programs in Adams County and Denver. The Adams County Tenant-Landlord Mediation Program works to divert parties away from court-sanctioned eviction proceedings and to work toward mutually agreed alternatives between renters and landlords like rental assistance, payment plans, lease compliance, and more. The Denver program serves for all manner of housing disputes — like maintenance issues, lease disputes, security deposit disagreements, and other disputes.

Colorado Housing Connects’ work has not gone unnoticed. In May, the helpline was awarded the Eagle Award from Housing Colorado — a non-partisan membership association dedicated to serving organizations and professionals in the affordable housing industry in Colorado.

The Eagle Award represents one of the highest achievements within the Colorado housing community and celebrates extraordinary accomplishments and outstanding leadership in housing and support services.

Aging in Place keeps/adds money to older adults’ pockets

Cost savings is by far the biggest success that Brothers’ Aging in Place senior services program has brought to older adult households.

As of Oct. 22, the Aging in Place Program has provided $847,569.33 in cost savings to older adults. When we say the program has provided $847,569.33 in cost savings, we mean that in 2022, clients are receiving monthly benefits or services that amount to a total savings of $847,569.33.

Brothers’ Aging in Place Program connects older adults to resources like Medicaid, Social Security, food assistance, rental/mortgage assistance and more. These benefits and services are resources that our clients have a right to access. But often times, we’ve found that our clients simply did not have information about benefits and resources they are entitled to.

Older adults have suffered during these past few years, particularly when it comes to savings or income. According to a 2021 survey conducted by The Commonwealth Fund — an organization that works to promote a high performing health care system — around 19% of Americans age 65+ either used up all or most of their savings or lost a job/source of income because of the pandemic.

Resident Services helps tenants in our communities access resources

While our Aging in Place program serves the broader community, Brothers’ Resident Services program serves the communities we own and manage with services to help residents who rely on us for a home.

For example, at Paris Family Apartments in Aurora — a community for families with children who have a household income at or below 60% of Average Median Income — our team brought birthday parties and presents to children, hosted National Night Out with the Aurora Police Department, and more.

In our senior communities, our residents were treated to potluck parties, performances and classes to help them manage their budgets. As the holidays kicked, off, many residents at Brothers Property Management communities were also treated to turkeys, pies, and gift cards to King Soopers for Thanksgiving.

Home Modification and Repair Program continues expansion, fulfills Brothers’ mission

It’s amazing what a repair or home modification can do for low-income older adults — just ask Colorado Springs resident Dean Reedy.

In February, Reedy’s pipes cracked, leaving him without running water for nearly a week. To get by, he used bottled water he purchased with food stamps to wash his hands and shower — until he got in touch with Brothers’ Home Modification and Repair Program. And after applying for the program, Reedy’s issues were quickly resolved when Brothers fixed his plumbing, installed a new shower and kitchen faucets, and replaced his water heater — all at no charge to him.

Reedy is one of 375 households who received services through the Home Modification and Repair Program in 2022. Brothers’ Home Modification and Repair Program is Colorado’s largest and longest running program of its kind. And it continued to grow in 2022 by expanding to cities like Aurora, Firestone, and Broomfield.

As the year closes, the program is planning to offer Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design to boost safety for local businesses. Examples of this work could be adding security cameras, installing better lighting, putting up a fence, or changing the landscape of a property.

The Home Modification and Repair Program catapulted into the local spotlight in April thanks to the work of 9News reporter Kyle Clark and his Word of Thanks — a micro-giving campaign that involves Clark presenting an organization he’d like to highlight on “Next with Kyle Clark” and asking viewers to consider a $5 donation.

Thanks to Clark and the generosity of “Next with Kyle Clark” viewers, the Home Modification and Repair Program received $42,474 in donations from 1,276 donors.

Painting smiles for low-income, disabled older adults

There are a few reasons why the Paint-A-Thon has been so successful over the past 44 years.

Brothers has always been blessed with a caring volunteer department and volunteers who genuinely want to have an impact on the region’s low-income older adults. Those factors — combined with generous donors who support the Paint-A-Thon at Brothers’ annual Local Social fundraiser — are why Brothers was able to paint 94 homes in 2022 during its 44th Paint-A-Thon season.

The Paint-A-Thon had 1,945 volunteers this year who collectively spent 14,340 hours painting houses, doing yard, and visiting with Brothers’ older adult clients.

For a more thorough review of the 44th annual Paint-A-Thon, click here.

Polis takes in Valor on the Fax

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is no stranger to the impact Brothers has had on the affordable housing landscape in recent years.

In 2019, Polis and then U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson joined Brothers President Jeff Martinez for the ribbon cutting of Paris Family Apartments. Three years later, Polis and Brothers’ paths would cross again — this time at the site of Valor on the Fax.

Polis, Lieutenant Gov. Dianne Primavera and other elected/public officials joined Martinez in April for an exclusive tour of Valor on the Fax —a 72-unit supportive housing community that will open in February for people facing housing insecurity because of acquired brain injury or related disability. Valor on the Fax is being developed by Brothers in partnership with the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado — another nonprofit organization that serves people with brain injuries.

The supportive housing community will reside at 7900 E. Colfax and provide services to tenants, their families, and providers. Valor on the Fax is employing “trauma-informed design,” meaning that the building’s features are being created to reduce symptoms of brain injury.

The Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado will provide comprehensive services to Valor on the Fax tenants like resource navigation, job training and recreational and wellness activities. Meanwhile, Brothers will manage the community and provide housing resources to tenants like rent and utility assistance, homebuyer classes and more. Tenants will also receive housing vouchers to help them pay their rent.

Construction on Valor on the Fax is expected to be finished in early 2023.

After contracting COVID-19 and spending 21 days on a ventilator at a Denver hospital, Gloria’s string of misfortunes continued after recovering from the virus.

Shortly after being discharged, Gloria — an undocumented older adult who is a monolingual Spanish speaker — was greeted with a medical bill totaling nearly $350,000 because she didn’t have insurance.

With nowhere left to turn to for help, Gloria began working with Brothers Redevelopment’s Aging in Place senior services program — a resource that empowers older Coloradans to age in place by bundling all the information they need to know about services under one roof. And thanks to the work of Brothers Senior Services Spanish Coordinator Eden Armendariz, the hospital waved $329,000 off Gloria’s medical bills. Armendariz also helped Gloria set up a payment plan to pay the remaining $20,000 balance over the next three years.

Without Brothers, Gloria and her family would’ve gone into debt and struggled paying for necessities during a time when prices continue to rise throughout the country.

Gloria’s success with the Aging in Place Program is an example of Brothers fulfilling its mission of being a compassionate organization that stands in the corner of Colorado’s most vulnerable residents. Her story is also an example of the kind of impact the Aging in Place Program aims to achieve.

Since the program’s inception in 2017, Aging in Place has connected thousands of older adults to resources like Medicaid, Social Security, food assistance, rental/mortgage assistance and more. From July 21, 2021, to May 22, the program has provided 42,096 services that amount to a program wide cost savings of $1,864,424.72.

Cost savings is by far the biggest success that the program has brought to older adult households. When we say that the program has provided cost savings of $1,864,424.72, we mean that in 2022, clients are receiving monthly benefits or other services that amount to a total savings of $1,864,424.72.

These benefits and services are resources that our clients have a right to access. But often times, we’ve found that our clients simply did not have information about benefits and resources they are entitled to.

Brothers’ ability to connect older adults to additional income, rent and utility assistance and other services has been vital for many residents who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising costs of necessities.

According to a 2021 survey conducted by The Commonwealth Fund — which works to promote a high performing health care system — older adults in the country have suffered the most economically from the pandemic compared to their counterparts in other surveyed countries. Around 19% of Americans age 65+ either used up all or most of their savings or lost a job/source of income because of the pandemic, the survey says.

“During this time of escalating costs, the Aging in Place staff is continuing its commitment to offering services to all older adults. Many older adults do not know that there are benefits that they are missing or are eligible for,” said Brothers Resident Services Manager Gary Olson. “Our program offers a benefits checkup which reveals areas that may increase income. This year we have helped over 3,000 people, which is our best year yet.”

In 2021 — a year in which Brothers Redevelopment turned 50 years old — we went above and beyond to compassionately address Colorado’s housing needs.

Brothers Redevelopment saw its programs impact hundreds of low-income and disabled seniors, provided millions of dollars in rental/mortgage assistance, answered Colorado’s most pressing housing questions and connected Coloradans to local housing resources — all while building and developing affordable housing for at risk residents.

Take a trip down memory lane and relive some of our best stories from 2021.

Paint-A-Thon transforms 90-plus houses

Brothers Redevelopment’s signature Paint-A-Thon Program roared back in 2021 by completing 95 projects across the metro area and in Colorado Springs.

The Paint-A-Thon saves elderly and disabled residents up to $5,000 per household — money that can be used for important costs like medication and bills.

It’s always amazing to see how Paint-A-Thon volunteers transform houses that are in need of a makeover. It’s even more amazing to see a client’s reaction when they see their updated house for the first time.

Over the summer, 93-year-old Barbara Rodriguez’s reaction to seeing her freshly painted house was caught on camera. Read her story and check out the video here.

Home Modification and Repair Program proves to be handy

It’s no secret that cost of housing can leave residents with the possibility of having to leave their home. But often times, we hear from some disabled clients that they’re faced with having to move if they can’t conduct crucial home repairs and modifications. That’s where our Home Modification and Repair Program comes in.

Brothers Redevelopment’s Home Modification and Repair Program served more than 460 households in the metro area and in Colorado Springs this year. The program also received support from local governments like the City of Westminster who provided additional funding for it back in July.

In 2021, the program impacted people like Commerce City resident Arthur Saiz — a United States Army Veteran who received services from Brothers Redevelopment. Read about it here.

Brothers Redevelopment helps hundreds of households with rent

This year, Brothers Redevelopment administered funds for a variety of rental and mortgage assistance services — including the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

Through the program, Brothers Redevelopment assisted 281 households across the state with finances for rent. This year, the City of Denver also continued to trust in us by electing to award Brothers Redevelopment an additional $3 million to distribute through the city’s Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance Program.

Check out what one of our clients had to say about the impact rental assistance had on her.

Coloradans turn to Colorado Housing Connects as federal eviction moratorium ends

In August, the Supreme Court rejected the Biden administration’s moratorium on evictions, leaving thousands of Coloradans vulnerable to the possibility of losing their home. Thankfully, residents in all parts of Colorado could turn to Colorado Housing Connects (1-844-926-6632) for help.

Shortly after the end of the federal eviction moratorium, Colorado Housing Connects saw a 55% increase in inquiries. Residents like Jessica Hopf avoided eviction, thanks to the work of the housing helpline’s housing navigators. Without Colorado Housing Connects, Hopf said she would’ve lost her home.

NextFifty Initiative entrusts in Brothers Redevelopment to serve Spanish speaking seniors

At the beginning of the year, Brothers Redevelopment added bilingual staff to our Aging in Place senior services program, ensuring that more Spanish-speaking seniors across the state could get access to crucial resources like Social Security, food assistance, health care, transportation and other federal and state benefits.

The program proved to be successful by serving 269 Spanish speaking seniors in 2021, resulting in $450,563.51 in cost savings for our clients. NextFifty Initiative awarded the program a grant toward the end of this year, lending to Brothers Redevelopment’s ability to help Spanish-speaking seniors get connected to resources that can help them avoid challenges that arise with aging. Read more here.

Housing, housing…. and more housing

Brothers Redevelopment continued to fulfill its mission of developing and preserving sustainable affordable housing in 2021.

In May, Brothers Redevelopment, on behalf of the Globeville Elyria-Swansea Affordable Housing Collaborative, worked with local developer Adam Berger to set a modular duplex at 4401 Milwaukee St. The homes were designed for Globeville and Elyria-Swansea families who are facing displacement and placed into the GES Tierra Colectiva — a community owned land trust that will preserve affordability for generations to come. Brothers Redevelopment also recently broke ground on a five-unit affordable housing community at 4401 Josephine St. Those homes will also be sold to Globeville and Elyria-Swansea families who are facing displacement and will be placed into the land trust.

Finally, Brothers Redevelopment and community members gathered in the fall to celebrate the groundbreaking of Valor on the Fax — a new affordable living community that will assist individuals who face housing insecurity due to an acquired brain injury or related disability.

For Valor on the Fax, Brothers Redevelopment is teaming up with the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado who will offer support, counseling and resources to tenants at the community. Our staff will also be on site to provide our housing services to the community’s residents. Valor on the Fax will be located at 7900 E. Colfax and is expected to be completed sometime in 2022. Read this news article about Valor on the Fax.

Over our 50-year history, we’ve seen first-hand how lives can be changed when vulnerable Coloradans have a helping hand.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, housing challenges were an issue that plagued many residents. The region’s housing issues have become even more evident this past year and a half.

We’re doing our part to help people keep their housing by providing local and statewide rental/mortgage assistance, helping disabled and low-income residents with services like our Paint-A-Thon and Home Modification and Repair Programs, answering all housing questions through our statewide housing helpline Colorado Housing Connects (1-844-926-6632), providing and developing affordable housing, and much more.

Our work doesn’t stop there though. Our Aging in Place senior services program makes a difference on thousands of older adults each year by connecting them to resources that help them age comfortably. And our housing counselors are helping Coloradans take their first steps toward purchasing their first homes through our first-time homebuyer classes.

Colorado Gives Day is coming up on Tuesday, Dec. 7. The date is important for many nonprofits like ours because it provides the opportunity for us to raise funds to continue to support Coloradans through our many different programs. We hope we can count on your donation this Dec. 7. Donations can be scheduled here.

Each year, Brothers Redevelopment makes a difference on thousands of people across the state. Don’t just take it from us though. Here are some things some of our clients had to say about the impact we had on them.

Brothers Redevelopment client testimonies

“The last time my house was painted was in the middle of the 1980’s. The change is really phenomenal. The volunteers pulled weeds and cleaned up my whole yard. They were really incredible. It was wonderful, thank you so much Brothers.” – Sherry Collins, Paint-A-Thon client.

“It was a time in my life when I sincerely needed help. Brothers was there. I’m thankful that there is an opportunity for people like me to feel secure in that you can keep on living in your own space.” Patricia Whitedove, Home Modification and Repair client.

“I know there’s a lot of people having a hard time with (paying for housing) right now, and if they can get to an agency like Brothers, that would be the greatest thing. They’ve been really great working with me.” – Allan Bullington, Colorado Housing Connects client.

“Brothers has always been a positive source. In my situation, I’ve struggled. They’re always telling me I’ll come out of this. They’ve helped me build my own faith in myself to just know that I’m a tough cookie, and I can get through this.” – Marlene Beeler, Aging in Place client.

“You don’t notice things when you’ve lived with them for so long. In two days, Brothers Redevelopment transformed our house with the bright yellow paint with bad trim to a nice-looking house that made an impression on us. It’s something we couldn’t have afforded to do. This is an important step to getting our house back in order. The people that came out here were really friendly, did a nice job and worked well as a team. It was certainly a blessing.” – Allan Elliot, Paint-A-Thon client.

“Without the (Home Modification and Repair Program), I would have had to move. And it would have been a very traumatic move for me.” – Beverly Kinard, Home Modification and Repair Program client.

“Colorado Housing Connects is really on top of things, and they can get you the resources you need. I hope this gets out to somebody who needs help. There are so many people that are really suffering right now, and if they use Colorado Housing Connects — their staff is just so caring and giving.” – Jessica Hopf, Colorado Housing Connects client.

“I called Brothers, and it just worked out perfectly. Brothers took all of my fear away. I had felt that I was caught between a rock and a hard place before calling Brothers. They were able to give me the resources, make me aware of them and assist me in securing what resources are available.” – Linn Argabrite, Aging in Place client.

Brothers Redevelopment is pleased to announce that our Aging in Place senior services program for Spanish speakers has received another year of funding from NextFifty Initiative — a Colorado-based foundation that supports efforts to improve the lives of older adults and their caregivers.

The grant lends to Brothers’ ability to help Spanish-speaking seniors by connecting them to resources that can help them avoid challenges that arise with aging. The Aging in Place Initiative connects older adults to a variety of resources, include Medicaid, Social Security, food assistance, rental/mortgage assistance and more.

Spanish-speaking seniors interested in the free program can access it by calling Brothers’ housing helpline, Colorado Housing Connects (1-844-926-6632). The Aging in Place Initiative welcomes undocumented residents to participate in the program.

“Our bilingual navigators are doing a great job helping our Spanish-speaking neighbors. To date, we have served 269 area residents which has resulted in $450,563.51 in cost savings to our clients,” said Brothers Resident Services Manager Gary Olson. “Often times, our clients are unaware of the many different benefits that are available to them. The Aging in Place Program works tirelessly to provide services free of charge to seniors that need us.”

Brothers Aging in Place Initiative, which provides a variety of services to older adults throughout the state to help them age comfortably and safely in their homes, incorporated bilingual navigators to more intentionally serve seniors in the Denver metro area and in other areas of the state like Eagle, Garfield, and Summit counties.

The program can help seniors access information on all housing-related financial topics and assists with identity-theft protection, living wills, powers of attorney, financial planning, and budgeting. Program participants can also access other services offered by Brothers including our Home Modification and Repair Program, which assists disabled and elderly residents with maintaining their homes through free home accessibility repair services, exterior home-repair services and interior repairs; and our annual Paint-A-Thon Program — a free service offered to elderly and disabled residents in which volunteers paint the outside of homes throughout the metro area.

Services like the Aging in Place Initiative that help residents age comfortably are vital. Currently, one in seven Coloradans (13.8%) is age 65 or older, according to data from the United States Census Bureau. By 2050, one in five Coloradans will be age 65 or older.

For more information about the Aging in Place Initiative, visit brothersredevelopment.org/senior-services.

“Our goal is to transform the way our society views and experiences aging, and that influences the types of programs and projects we fund,” said Diana McFail, president and CEO of NextFifty Initiative. “’Brothers Redevelopment’s work with older adults aligns with our efforts to improve and sustain quality of life for people in their second 50 years. We offer our support and congratulations.”

Elizabeth Reed’s life has been complicated due to her battle with multiple sclerosis — a disease that causes symptoms like vision loss, pain, fatigue and impaired coordination.

The 65-year-old Aurora resident works hard to maintain her home, but the physical demands are often too much for her. Her house’s exterior paint was chipping and peeling off. And she also needed assistance with cleaning her home but couldn’t afford a housekeeper.

But through word of mouth, Reed learned of Brothers Redevelopment’s Paint-A-Thon Program — a service that utilizes volunteers to paint the exterior of homes for low-income and disabled homeowners. Through the program, Reed not only got her house and deck updated with fresh paint — she was also connected to the nonprofit’s senior services Aging in Place Program. Through Aging in Place, Reed was able to acquire assistance with cleaning her house, thanks to Brothers staff.

“I couldn’t afford to get my house painted, and I don’t know who else would’ve been able to do it. The paint alone made me feel better about pulling up into the driveway and seeing my house,” said Reed. “It looks so much better. It’s also been nice being able to get help accessing the resources I need.”

Since May, Brothers Senior Services Coordinator Rene Quihuiz has been assisting Reed by helping her secure long-term Medicaid and homecare. Reed said that before she accessed the Aging in Place Program, she was ready to give up on her quest to receive home cleaning services.

“I was frustrated because it was a long process of going back and forth with (other agencies). (Quihuiz) encouraged me to keep going at it and that he was going to do his part to see if he can get the ball rolling,” said Reed. “If it wasn’t for him, I probably would’ve given up.”

This year, the Paint-A-Thon served 151 people and completed 95 projects across the metro area and in Colorado Springs. The Aging in Place Program has served more than 2,000 Coloradans this year.

You can help Brothers continue to support residents like Reed by donating to us on Colorado Gives Day (Dec. 7). You can schedule a donation here.

Brothers Redevelopment’s Carlo Nicastro fell in love with the medical field when he was working as a paramedic for the Sierra Madre Fire Department in California from 2010 to 2015.

With dreams of being a doctor on his mind, Nicastro moved back to Mexico — the place where he was born — to go study medicine at the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine. The school has an international program, and Nicastro said he had classmates from all over the world, including from the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and other countries.

Nicastro’s plan was to finish school and return to the United States. But he met his wife and the two decided to stay in Mexico where he worked as an emergency room physician at a private hospital in Playa del Carmen — a costal resort town in Mexico.

While at the hospital, Nicastro practiced life saving skills on patients and worked as an assistant surgeon during a variety of procedures like C-sections, gastric surgeries, orthopedic surgeries and more.

“Everything about medicine just fascinates me. Obviously, I like to help people out,” said Nicastro. “But I’m an adrenaline junky. I work well under pressure so working in the ER was something that spoke to me.”

After having two children, Nicastro and his wife packed their bags and moved to California where they stayed at for eight years before settling down in Colorado Springs last December. In Colorado Springs, Castro traded in his surgical scrubs for a new career as a senior service navigator for Brothers Redevelopment’s Aging in Place Initiative — a free program that works to help seniors age comfortably by connecting them to resources and services like Medicaid, Social Security, food assistance, rental/mortgage assistance and more.

Nicastro said his time as a doctor has helped him transition into his new role, because his past career helped him be emphatic.

“A lot of people that reach out to Brothers and need our help are in desperate situations. Being able to listen to them and be emphatic is an advantage,” said Nicastro. “There are a lot of elderly people that have a lot of medical conditions. We can talk about what that looks like and what the options are as far as getting help.”

Outside of serving Colorado Springs seniors through the Aging in Place program, Nicastro and his wife operate a food truck in the city called “Dr. Taco.” They originally started Dr. Taco in Playa del Carmen in 2003 before bringing the food service to Colorado Springs.

Seniors interested in the Aging in Place program can access it by calling Brothers Redevelopment’s housing helpline — Colorado Housing Connects (1-844-926-6632).

“The most rewarding part of my job is getting that call back to thank us for our work and being able to solve some of these issues for these elderly people that don’t have anywhere else to look for help,” said Nicastro.

Brothers Builds Hope: 42,277 Lives Impacted in a Year of Groundbreaking Initiatives and Innovative Housing Solutions