Valor on the Fax Archives - Brothers Redevelopment

There was a feeling of joy and excitement on May 17 as Brothers Redevelopment’s dedicated team, community leaders and valued partners/supporters gathered to celebrate the opening of Brothers’ new community, Valor on the Fax.

Nearly every major TV news station in the Denver metro area, and other news entities like Westword and Denverite, swarmed the rooftop patio of Valor to document one of the most significant events in Brothers’ 52-year history. It was at that patio where Brothers President Jeff Martinez, Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado CEO Kate Kerkmans, Denver City Councilmember Amanda Sawyer, and others spoke with pride about Valor on the Fax — Brothers’ newest affordable housing community that will house people with acquired brain injury and related disability.

“At Brothers Redevelopment, we believe that everyone deserves a safe and supportive place to call home, and this community is a testament to that commitment. Our goal is to provide a nurturing environment where residents can thrive and create a meaningful life,” said Martinez. “We are excited to see the positive impact that Valor on the Fax will have on the lives of its residents and the broader community as a whole.”

After the speeches, attendees went to the front of the building where Martinez and others finally cut the ribbon on the new, 72-unit community. The ribbon cutting had been nearly five years in the making and marked the official opening of Brothers’ 19th affordable housing community in Colorado.

“From the moment we walked onto what was once a dirty, dilapidated, potholed lot here, I think we saw…what would be possible if we see this vision through,” said Martinez at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The visionary community, located at 7900 E. Colfax Ave. was the result of a collaboration between Brothers and the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado. During the planning process for Valor on the Fax, the two agencies heavily relied on public comment to conceive the building’s exterior features. On the inside, Valor on the Fax provides a therapeutic and comfortable environment to residents with “trauma-informed design” features such as soft lighting, sound-blocking windows, and natural lighting in group areas.

As tenants settle in, they will be welcomed by Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado staff who will provide comprehensive services to residents of Valor like resource navigation, job training, and recreational and wellness activities. Brothers will manage the community and utilize the first-floor commercial space to provide a wide variety of housing related services to residents of the East Colfax neighborhood.

Valor on the Fax is one of the largest of the supportive housing communities in the state to receive public investment. The primary public funding sources for this activity are the City and County of Denver, Denver’s Department of Housing Stability (HOST), and the Colorado Division of Housing. Other public investment has been made by the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and the Denver Housing Authority. Substantial private investment has come from Enterprise Housing Credit Investments, LLC, and from ANB Bank. Philanthropic support for Valor on the Fax has been made by Wells Fargo Banks.

For more information about Valor on the Fax, visit valoronthefax.com.

This past month, Brothers Redevelopment was honored to welcome officials from the City of Aurora, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on tours of two of our affordable housing communities.

The day began at Paris Family Apartments with a warm welcome from Brothers President Jeff Martinez on April 25. The affordable housing community — located at 1702 Paris St. in Aurora — offers 39 units to families with children who have a household income at or below 60% of Area Median Income. Among those who visited the site include Aurora City Councilmembers Juan Marcano and Angela Lawson, HUD Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations Kimberly McClain, Regional Administrator for the HUD, Rocky Mountain Region, Dominique Jackson, and others from the City of Aurora and HUD.

Later in the day, officials from HUD continued their tour of our affordable housing communities by visiting Valor on the Fax at 7900 E. Colfax. This new 72-unit community was designed to house people who have experienced traumatic brain injury or a related disability. Officials were guided by Martinez throughout the building and were shown one of the community’s three-bedroom units, architectural design that alleviates brain injury like Valor’s therapeutic rooms, the building’s state of the art rooftop and community lounge, and other parts of the community.

The purpose of the tours was for officials to see developments throughout the Denver area that are utilizing innovative and forward-thinking approaches to addressing homelessness and affordable housing.

“Having HUD officials and leaders from the City of Aurora tour two our affordable housing communities was an incredible opportunity for us to showcase the impact of our work and the importance of affordable housing solutions for low-income individuals and families. We appreciate their visit and are committed to continuing to provide safe, affordable, and sustainable housing for those who need it most,” said Martinez.

At the sites, Martinez spoke to City of Aurora and HUD officials about each community’s features, the impact affordable housing has had on tenants, and the collaboration that took place for us to offer the affordable housing communities.

Paris Family Apartments was funded with competitive Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. The $17.5 million project was made possible by federal funds from HUD that were administered by several local participating jurisdictions — including the City of Aurora, Arapahoe County and the Colorado Division of Housing. Federal funds for this project were matched by private and philanthropic grants that assisted with securing Low-Income Housing Tax Credit funds issued through the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, provider of a permanent loan.

This project is a model for strong local, state, and federal partnership in providing affordable housing. Paris Family Apartments is Brothers’ first affordable housing development in Aurora and its first funded with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.

Valor on the Fax was made possible thanks to partnerships with the City of Denver, who selected Brothers to develop the community, and the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado — another nonprofit that offers support, counseling, and resources to tenants at the community.

In 2021, Denver City Council unanimously approved a resolution that provided a loan of more than $1.4 million for the construction of Valor on the Fax. That loan will be forgiven after 99 years of affordable housing performance compliance. Denver City Council also approved a $1 million contract with Brothers to provide supportive housing services to residents at the community that will help them transition out of homelessness.

Brothers offers nearly 1,000 affordable units to families, youth experiencing homelessness, and disabled residents in Denver, Aurora, Westminster, Erie, and Boulder. For more information about our affordable housing communities, visit brotherspropertymanagement.org.

Denver voters have soundly rejected ballot measure 2O and development on the Park Hill Golf Course. And while we are disappointed by the results, we honor Denver voters’ wishes and applaud those who voted in this election.

As the dust settles on ballot measure 2O — which would’ve allowed us to build as many as 200 new apartment homes for income qualified families and up to 60 new affordable homes as part of a Permanent Supportive Housing community serving our disabled neighbors at the defunct Park Hill Golf Course — we are looking to the future, where we are actively working to create new communities and deliver support services to address the urgent need for affordable housing across the region.

This month, we are welcoming the first tenants into our newest supportive housing community, Valor on the Fax — a 72-unit complex for Coloradans facing housing insecurity because of acquired brain injury or related disability. Valor on the Fax was developed with “trauma-informed design,” meaning that the building’s features reduce symptoms of brain injury.

When tenants settle into their new homes, they are being welcomed with wrap around services from the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado, including robust resource and community navigation, skills building, and recreational and wellness activities. And of course, our staff will be on site to provide housing resources to the surrounding East Colfax and Original Aurora communities, including rental and utility assistance, homebuyer classes, and more.

Brothers in May will also welcome families, all new first-time homeowners, to Josephine44, a new townhome community we have developed in collaboration with Tiera Colectiva, as part of our work with the GES Affordable Housing Collaborative. The homes will be placed in the Tiera Colectiva Community Owned Land Trust — a community-led effort that Brothers kickstarted in 2017 when we purchased the land trust’s first three homes and secured more than $4 million in grants to help GES families prevent displacement. We have new housing in the works, too.

Brothers is actively working with Arapahoe County to develop a new 80-unit community that would provide housing and supportive services for clients referred from justice system agencies, such as the 18th Judicial District Problem Solving Courts and the Arapahoe County Pretrial Mental Health Program. Spurred by a $3 million grant that the county awarded to Brothers late last fall, the housing and services will help these clients to access behavioral health treatment resources in a stable and safe community setting.

We are also pressing for new housing in Northern Colorado. Brothers has begun to talk, in earnest, with officials in the Town of Erie to develop new affordable housing for the growing community’s workforce. Set to build upon the small senior community that we own today which composes two-thirds of the town’s affordable housing, Brothers hopes to develop as many as 80 new apartments in the next 2-3 years to address a critical need up the northern portion of the I-25 corridor.

A bit lost, but certainly least in our efforts to support affordable housing, is the recent growth we’ve seen in Brothers Property Management, our property management company and exclusive management agent. Over the 8-12 months, our portfolio has swelled to nearly 1,000 affordable units, as we’ve grown to manage new communities serving families, youth exiting foster care and others experience homelessness and ongoing housing insecurity.

These efforts exemplify our organizational values to help house those in need.

No single development can help alleviate the pain of Colorado’s affordable housing crisis. But we can assure our community that nothing will stop us from striving to ensure that every person has a safe place to call home.

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.

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.

Brothers Redevelopment Celebrates Grand Opening of Valor on the Fax: A New Chapter in Affordable Housing

HUD/City of Aurora tour Paris Family Apartments and Valor on the Fax

Brothers Redevelopment looks toward future after ballot measure 2O fails

Brothers 2022 year in review