After spending 21 days on a ventilator at a Denver hospital because of the Coronavirus, Gloria was handed a medical bill of nearly $350,000.
Gloria — an undocumented older adult who is a monolingual Spanish speaker — doesn’t have insurance. And if it weren’t for housing nonprofit Brothers Redevelopment, that medical bill would’ve devastated Gloria and her family at a time when the overall cost of living has increased drastically.
Thanks to the work of the nonprofit’s Aging in Place senior services program, the hospital waved $329,000 off Gloria’s medical bill. Brothers also helped Gloria set up a payment plan to pay the remaining balance of her bill over the next three years.
For the past 50 plus years, Brothers has assisted vulnerable Coloradans like Gloria through its Aging in Place Program, Paint-A-Thon, Home Modification and Repair Program, and its housing helpline, Colorado Housing Connects (1-844-926-6632). Each program is dedicated to helping Coloradans keep a roof over their head and to helping older adults stay in their own homes for as long as possible — regardless of one’s income.
Here is a glimpse at the way Brothers has touched thousands of lives over the years.
Aging in Place
Phone: 1-844-926-6632
Email: gary@brothersredevelopment.org
Website: https://brothersredevelopment.org/senior-services/
Program overview: Through the Aging in Place Program, Brothers empowers older Coloradans to age in place by bundling all the information they need to know about services under one roof.
Older adults who participate in the free service work with Brothers’ “senior service navigators” who act as a personalized resource directory to connect Coloradans to local and government services and benefits. Among the resources, the program connects clients to include Social Security, food assistance, health care, mortgage/rental and utility assistance, transportation, yard work, and other federal and state benefits.
The program offers a benefits checkup which reveals areas that may increase income for older adults.
Paint-A-Thon
Phone: 720-339-5864
Email: chad@brothersredevelopment.org
Website: https://brothersredevelopment.org/volunteer-apply-paint-a-thon/what-is-a-paint-a-thon/
Program overview: For the past 44 years, Brothers’ Volunteer Department has spent every summer painting the exterior of homes owned by older adults with the help of thousands of volunteers.
The Paint-A-Thon allows low-income/disabled homeowners the chance to save their income for necessities like medication and groceries while still having the opportunity to get their homes freshly painted.
Each year, Brothers paints around 100 houses and provides yard work services as well as minor home repairs for each Paint-A-Thon project.
Home Modifications and Repairs
Phone: 303-685-4225
Email: HMR@brothersredevelopment.org
Website: https://brothersredevelopment.org/home-modifications-repair-overview-2/
Program overview: Brothers operates Colorado’s largest and oldest Home Modification and Repair Program throughout the Denver metro area, Colorado Springs, and other parts of the state.
Through its Home Modification and Repair Program, Brothers offers high-quality home repairs and modifications to older/disabled adults at no charge or at a significantly reduced rate. Repairs and modifications can include roll-in shower conversion, wheelchair ramp construction, exterior rail repair/installation, exterior plumbing and minor electrical repairs, repair or installation of furnaces, repair or installation of hot water heaters, and plumbing repairs for items like sinks, faucets, valves, drains, and toilets.
Colorado Housing Connects
Phone: 1-844-926-6632
Email: coloradohousingconnects@gmail.com
Website: https://coloradohousingconnects.org/
Program overview: In partnership with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Brothers operates the state’s only housing helpline, Colorado Housing Connects.
The helpline is available to all Coloradans throughout the state and provides information on housing services and topics of interest to renters, landlords, first-time homebuyers, older adults, people with disabilities, and anyone with fair housing concerns.
Colorado Housing Connects works with renters to prevent evictions by connecting clients to local rental assistance resources, informing renters about the eviction process and their rights, and by helping renters access legal referrals.
Homeowners can also benefit from the housing helpline, especially those who are facing foreclosure. Colorado Housing Connects connects homeowners to government-certified housing counselors that can help Coloradans access legal referrals, financial assistance, housing counseling services and more.
