Denver’s Valor on the Fax offers people with brain injuries a safe space and a way to stay off the streets

Jim Ray’s life was never the same after an assailant wielding a bat attacked him in New Mexico back in 1999. His head injuries were so severe he lost the ability to read and write, earn a meaningful income and keep a roof over his head.

For years he couch-surfed and relied on the kindness of friends in the area until he returned to Ohio during the pandemic to help take care of his father’s estate. When he came back to Denver, finding a place to live became even harder, and he ended up in shelters.

Everything changed for Ray when he recently moved into Valor on the Fax, a new 72-unit affordable apartment complex designed specifically for those who have suffered brain injuries.

“They did a nice job on this place,” Ray said during an opening celebration Wednesday that brought together backers of the development, which took five years to complete. Valor on the Fax is one of the largest supportive housing communities in the state and one of the first affordable housing projects in the country focused exclusively on tenants with an acquired brain injury.

A survey a few years ago found that nearly two-thirds of those experiencing chronic homelessness in metro Denver suffer from some kind of brain injury, said Kate Kerkmans, CEO of the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado, which partnered closely with Brothers Redevelopment to bring the project to life.

Denver ranks among the top 10 metros in the country for its homeless population, according to the annual Point-in-Time count. That survey, taken in January 2022, counted 4,794 experiencing homelessness, including 1,313 who were unsheltered.

That number is up 44% from five years earlier, reflecting, in part, a larger population, but also a housing market that now ranks among one of the least affordable in the country outside California. The city is directing $253 million from its general fund this year to address homelessness and affordable housing. How to respond has become a top issue in Denver’s mayoral race.

One approach, sweeping unauthorized encampments, was found to increase the death rate of drug-addicted residents at those locations by nearly 25% over the following 10 years. Offering shelter, say a converted hotel room, might help those trying to get through a rough patch financially. That approach hasn’t proven as effective in helping people struggling with deeper problems or who have been living on the streets for a long time.

That is where Valor on the Fax stands out. BIAC maintains a satellite office at Valor with 24/7 staffing to oversee the location and help residents with their needs. About half the residents at Valor are expected to come through BIAC, with the other half coming through referrals from city programs.

Valor’s mission is to create a safe and healing space that keeps residents housed long-term so they don’t rotate in and out of the support system, Kerkmans said.

To help achieve that, Valor uses “trauma-informed design” to make residents as comfortable as possible, said Jeff Martinez, president of Brothers Redevelopment, a nonprofit group focused on affordable housing development and housing counseling.

Color schemes throughout Valor are more muted, lighting more subdued and transitions on the flooring are smoother. Residents can stay in their noise-dampened rooms or they can hang out in common areas if they want, mingling with others or staying to themselves.

Doors to the apartments have very large numbers on them, making them easier to see and locate. Corners and sharp edges within the apartments and common areas are rounded. Intercom systems, a throwback to an earlier era, allow residents to call down for help or to receive notifications when someone is coming to pay a visit. And the units are furnished, making the transition easier for those moving in with minimal possessions.

“Getting people off the streets and into housing is key to the building of a stronger Denver,” Denver Council Member Amanda Sawyer said. “Valor on the Fax adds to the momentum of supportive housing options underway, and this project will surely provide a lifeline for many.”

Valor on the Fax targets individuals earning 30% or less of the area median income in Denver, which works out to $24,650 for a single-person household. The U.S. Department of Housing is providing housing vouchers for all 72 apartments, which consist mostly of single bedrooms, with some two and three-bedroom units mixed in for larger families.

“It is hard for people to find a decent, safe and affordable place to live,” said Dominque Jackson, regional administrator at HUD, who was among several affordable housing advocates attending the opening ceremony on Wednesday.

Denver donated a run-down parking lot at 7900 E. Colfax Ave., on the corner of Trenton Street, one of two lots it purchased in 2017 in an effort to preserve more affordable housing options along the corridor ahead of the rollout of the East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit project.

The $250 million to $300 million transit project, which will provide more frequent and faster service from I-225 to Denver Union Station, is expected to revitalize the corridor and boost investment along the region’s longest thoroughfare. Denver is trying to get ahead of future displacement by locking in affordable housing options along the route and Valor has land-use restrictions that will keep it affordable for 99 years.

Besides providing land, Denver’s Department of Housing Stability (HOST) pitched in $1.44 million to help cover the $23.6 million in construction costs and is helping to subsidize support services at the site for 15 years through a $1 million contract.

Beyond that, the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority provided a $7.3 million loan, a $1.5 million grant and underwrote $1.3 million in low-income tax credits to draw in equity investors, which Enterprise Community Partners found.

“We want to make sure people in the community can stay in the community,” said Jennie Rodgers, a vice president at the affordable housing finance group, which has helped create or preserve 22,000 affordable homes by leveraging $1.9 billion in capital in Colorado.

Wells Fargo Bank and ANB Bank also provided financing, as did the Denver Housing Authority. And Brothers worked closely with The Fax Partnership, incorporating an architectural design that allowed the building to blend into the neighborhood.

“This work is not easy. It is not for the faint of heart,” said David Nisivoccia, CEO of the Denver Housing Authority.

Brothers Redevelopment was at the center of it all, bringing together multiple partners and funding sources and overcoming obstacles, like $1 million in additional construction costs and completion delays resulting from supply chain issues during the pandemic.

Although Brothers has shepherded several affordable housing projects over the years, Valor on Fax stands out Martinez said, both in terms of the number of partners involved and the targeted way it serves a vulnerable community. And it arrives at a time when the need for affordable housing is unprecedented.

Back in 2013, the nonprofit, which also provides housing counseling, received about 1,000 requests for help with housing. Now it is hearing from about 30,000 people a year from across the state.

Brain injuries can result from a variety of causes — strokes, hypoxia, auto and bike wrecks, sports and war injuries, falls and other accidents. They can happen in an instant with effects that can last a lifetime.

Now that he has a stable place to call home, Ray, 64, said he would like to get on with life in a way he hasn’t been able to since his brain injury caused his life to unravel. He is good at working with a BBQ and would like to help feed the homeless if offered the chance. And he wants to take up some of his old hobbies.

“I want to go fishing again,” he said.

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