On Wednesday, Oct. 6, Denver-based nonprofit Brothers Redevelopment, Inc., celebrated the kick-off of construction on the new, 72-unit apartment community, Valor on the Fax, at 7900 E. Colfax Ave. (East Colfax and Trenton St.). The new community will provide supportive housing for individuals facing housing insecurity due to acquired brain injury or related disability.
Brothers Redevelopment (BRI) President Jeff Martinez was on hand, along with Gavin Attwood, president of the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado (BIAC), along with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Denver City Council Member Amanda Sawyer, and nearly a dozen other representatives from the public, private and philanthropic sectors, who have invested in this first-of-its-kind supportive housing community in Colorado.
“We’re set to begin construction on the newest edition to Brothers portfolio, Valor on the Fax, which is a first of its kind, supportive housing community that will provide housing and services for individuals with an acquired brain injury or related disability – many of whom we know struggle with housing insecurity, finding and maintaining employment, accessing important services and much more,” said Martinez, president of Brothers Redevelopment.
The visionary collaboration between Brothers Redevelopment and the Brain Injury Alliance has relied on public comment to conceive the building’s exterior features, employing “trauma-informed design” throughout to ensure that the building will offer a therapeutic and comfortable environment to the residents who will call Valor home. BIAC will provide comprehensive services to future tenants of the community, including resource navigation, job training and recreational and wellness activities. As a trusted affordable housing developer and owner, BRI will manage the 72-unit community and utilize the first-floor commercial space to provide a wide variety of housing-related services to residents of the East Colfax neighborhood.
The project is the largest of the supportive housing community in the state to receive public investment. The primary public funding sources for this activity are the City and County of Denver, the Department of Housing Stability; 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.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock commented,“We’re excited about the collaboration (with Brothers Redevelopment) and the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado it’s a true innovation in terms of their collaboration in transitioning individuals with disabilities from homelessness. We’re excited about that and we’re proud as a city to play a role in this project.”
Photos courtesy of From the Hip Photo
