Brothers Redevelopment - Brothers Redevelopment

In the early 1970’s, housing challenges around the Denver metro area were similar to housing challenges seen in communities today — according to Brothers Redevelopment Founder Richard Magnus.

People needed help finding and keeping their housing — particularly along the westside of Denver where Brothers started its work. And some couldn’t afford to update their houses with new paint to upgrade the aesthetics of their home. But Magnus and other founders of Brothers like Don Schierling, Joe Giron and Manny Martinez felt like they could make a difference on the community — especially on seniors and families living in poverty.

“Our goal was to put together people that would help (people with housing) and to find money that would get us going and to find partners. Initially we received church grants and individual donors,” said Magnus. “We started very small, we started very humbly, and we started with these four guys that were an unlikely foursome. We had big dreams. They were nowhere near the size of what Brothers does now — but we had big dreams.”

Magnus flew out to Colorado from Minnesota in September to celebrate Brothers’ 50th anniversary at the nonprofit’s Local Social fundraising event.

He discussed his time in Denver, his involvement with Brothers, reflected on the organization’s growth, and more. Here is what he had to say.

Tell us about your recent trip out to Denver.

It was wonderful. I had a chance to see some of the old westside and projects that continue with La Alma Family. It’s impressive to know work still goes on right there where things got started.

We drove by the Paris Family Apartments which impressed me. I would not have dreamt Brothers would be able to put up a development with that many units for families. To see the manager and young kids that were enjoying the facility was wonderful.

We drove by the Globeville action with the units that are being done with tremendous partnership with others. We also drove by Valor on the Fax which we’re working on with the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado. What I learned is that’s the first of its kind in the nation. To think the Brothers I knew way back when could be leading the way in reaching out to a group that has not been helped with housing was exciting and encouraging.

One of the things about Brothers is there are so many projects that are up and going strong. It was just very impressive on the tour.

How long did you stay active with Brothers and in what ways?

I was the secretary of the board for several years. I would want to say as we got started in 71, I was in the organization actively for five, six, maybe seven years. And then I continued to be active as I changed employment and was working in different situations and still trying to push people toward Brothers and helping them to become involved — even if I was from a bit of a distance.

What comes to your mind when you see how Brothers has grown over the past 50 years?

Great joy, a little bit of unbelief and satisfaction that an idea that started small could become so big and so impressive. To see what I saw when Brothers brought me out and took me on the tour and meeting the people at the fundraiser was just tremendously impressive. It warmed my heart significantly to hear from staff and board members that they shared the vision, and they share the values. They have a heart for the work that is needed to help people with being housed, and they have a deep commitment to be about that work.

What do you hope to see from Brothers going forward?

I want to see more of the same. What felt good to me is it hasn’t taken a great different direction. It has just added on more and more programs that meet community needs. I was impressed to hear about rental/mortgage assistance and (Colorado Housing Connects) and the partnerships that are allowing Brothers to do phenomenal work these past few years.

Brothers has been able to respond to the needs of the time and to do so in a way that attracts partners and that now gets significant government funding to really help do the big things that Brothers is about.

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.

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.

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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.

Brothers Redevelopment founder reflects on organization’s impact

Colorado Housing Connects statewide helpline turns 5

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

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