Valor on the Fax, a story of resiliency, rehabilitation and new beginnings

Section I: The trials and tribulations of Kennith Stansberry and his journey to Valor on the Fax.

"Tears are rainbows of the soul when you're happy to tears," Kenneth Stansberry proclaimed when he got accepted into living at Valor on the Fax.

Kenneth Stansberry, 63 years-old, was a man of many professions. He worked in building maintenance for more than 40 years, following in his dad's blue-collar footsteps. 

Then, his career came to a shocking halt when he experienced two traumatic brain injuries that changed his life forever. The first incident was a car accident that caused him to fly out of his vehicle and hit his head on a rock.

"They call it a concussion, but my head swelled up so big I had no neck, I had no nose, I had two little holes here," Stansberry said. "A friend of ours was the triage nurse. The first hospital I went to, she didn't think she'd see me [alive] again. I had three out-of-body experiences."

Kenneth woke up from the accident three days later, not knowing that his memory had been permanently altered. At the time, he was working as a busboy and soon realized that his muscle memory had failed him.  

"I'd wash these dishes a thousand times," Kenneth explained. "I knew each [dish] individually, but I didn't know where to put them." 

Once Kenneth realized he could not fully recover from his accident, he decided to try to start fresh. "I rebuilt my life from there," he said.

The impact of Kenneth's first accident caused him to suffer from nerve damage in 17% of his right arm. The damage also effects 10% of the entire right side of his body. Additionally, it impaired the feeling on the right side of his face.

A year later, Kenneth was holding a door open for someone, and his shoes got jammed into the sidewalk. He began to stumble. To save himself, he tried to grab onto a nearby tree. Instead, he ran into an advertisement board, fell over, and hit his head. 

This accident ruined Kenneth's ability to work in maintenance, perform everyday tasks, and pay his rent, and ultimately led him to lose his job and home. He went from staying at the hospital for his physical health issues to being placed in a homeless shelter. 

He needed help on his journey toward finding housing through various avenues, such as Mesa County and Denver Housing. After applying through numerous platforms, calling organizations, filling out paperwork, and conducting follow-up phone calls, he contacted Denise Baugh, a Brain Injury Alliance staff member.

Located along East Colfax, Valor on the Fax stands as a trauma-informed residency to cater to individuals grappling with chronic brain injuries and homelessness. With 72 units, this residency serves as a vital support system, offering resources that empower residents to confront the daily physical and mental challenges they endure.

The resources provided to Valor on the Fax come from Brothers Redevelopment and the Brain Injury Alliance. These organizations forged a powerful partnership dedicated to addressing the complex needs of those at the intersection of chronic brain injuries and homelessness.

Christine Gomez also found a home with Valor. Since she joined as a resident, she says, the program has transformed her life. Gomez and her two daughters, 19-year-old Selena and 16-year-old Mia, were trying to flee from domestic violence, as a man they were living with assaulted her and her daughters and "didn't know how to keep his hands to himself." 

While trying to find a new and safe environment for her family, Christine had to pay $95 a night to stay at a family motel. She said the family struggled with immense stress and anxiety about their living situation.

"The guy we're running from came after us … three different occasions out in Lakewood. … He's in jail now, thank God," Christine said.

While Christine and her daughters lived in Lakewood, human resources helped her connect to Valor on the Fax. This institution brought great relief and peace to the Gomez family, 

"It's a relief to feel safe," Gomez said. "Having my girls feel safe. They have their own rooms; they can sleep at night without having to worry about being attacked. … It has changed our life."

The changes have made her family feel safe and removed their anxiety about where to sleep at night. 

“It took a lot off my shoulders. Like I said, having to worry about things like how I’m going to pay my rent, you know from day to day and stuff. So it’s calmed my anxiety down, I still have my anxiety though. But it taught with depression and a lot it’s built me up a little bit more confidence,”

Section II: Damaging mentalities about the homeless.

Misconceptions and stereotypes often cast a shadow on the homeless population, fostering a sense of judgment and disdain among residents. The label "homeless" can carry a heavy burden, filled with preconceived notions that fail to capture the complexities of each individual's situation.

For Daniel Epstein, the owner of Pearl Convenience located on Pearl Street in Boulder, the challenges posed by homelessness are tangible and affect his business. 

"Whether it's intoxicated on alcohol, high on methamphetamine, narcotics, fentanyl has become a huge issue," Epstein said. "We have guys coming in here all the time. It's non-stop, whether it's trying to steal or bothering whoever is behind the counter for something free."

Drug use among the homeless population has created a negative connotation that’s exacerbated by a lack of resources available in Colorado.  

Epstein proclaims, "I'm sure resources are slim, but that's also an excuse. I think it's a big excuse for a lot of people. I think they use that because I think that's something to give them even more resources for free and have handouts. I think these drugs are a huge issue with border issues.” 

“We have crime issues,” he continued. “We have local government issues. We have statewide government issues that have led to these beautiful towns being filled with homelessness, crime, and things that I don't appreciate and don't like.”

To help deal with the issue, Boulder has partnered with the Downtown Boulder Partnership, CU Boulder, and Block by Block to launch the Boulder Ambassador Program. Its members seek to provide enhanced cleaning, safety, and hospitality services within the downtown and University Hill districts. Among them is Paul Montroy.

"The homeless are motivated to sit in a certain spot with their dogs, feed them, and try to get money from people. That's who they are, that's OK," Montroy said.

His interactions with homeless individuals have led him to believe that unhoused individuals would rather live on the street with their dogs than have responsibilities. 

"I've tried to speak with several of them,” Montroy said. "They want the freedom side; they don't want the responsibilities. Well, hence on the street with their dogs." 

At Valor on the Fax, the belief is that those who feel hopeless because of their inability to find stable housing can be offered new lives with the right treatment and resources.

Stansberry is a testament to the program's ability to transform lives. He has been actively trying to improve his mental and physical health for two years. While frustrated with the process of filling out documentation applications and conducting various phone calls to get assistance, he has not given up on trying to pursue the counseling and resources he needs to live. 

"I'm doing it all by myself with several different people sending me this way and I gotta go through that phone tree to this phone tree and they get transferred over there. … I am trying to get help through any program that will help me," Stansberry said. 

Stansberry has also become an active member of the Valor on the Fax community seeking to help. When he saw another resident in distress, he volunteered to care for her dog in the afternoons so she could have more time to herself. 

"I help take care of Rufus, he's our son," Stansberry said 

Residents often come to Stanberry for tools, help to move in, and other maintenance tasks, "If I can help, I will; if not, I try to direct them the way that they need to go to get the help they need," Stansberry said. 

Christine also values the support offered by residents at Valor.

"You could get a lot of resources off from other people too, and the people here are nice,” she said. “They like to help out, too. So they have no problem giving you advice or resources that you could turn to that you would never even think of.” 

Section III: Future expansions and unexpected life.

Nicole-Rice Collins is among those striving to make a difference at Valor. As its director of residential services, she works with the staff to help clients cope, learn skills and receive mental health counseling. Whatever they need, she said, that’s what the staff are there for.

“If they need help filling out applications, for like services in the community, whether it’s like food stamps or Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, if they need help navigating any of that we will get there and get that done for them,” Collins said.

Three resource navigators are assigned to the residents at Valor on the Fax. If a resident needs help or guidance with day-to-day activities, they can assist them accordingly. 

“The resource navigators are here, and if you need something, you need to come to them and ask them. So like if you're behind on your rent, we can help you apply for rental assistance and things of those natures,” Collins said.

After a few months, Valor on the Fax noticed that there was a lack of mental health resources they could offer to the residents. As a response, they have recently started providing more mental health services and working with the residents to find the assistance they need. The goal behind providing these resources is to help residents who may not have the financial ability to pay for therapy or travel expenses.  

Other tasks that the resource navigators assist residents with are helping individuals pay rent, learn about the new mental health programs available, like family therapy or after-school programs.

The Brain Injury Alliance staff receives trauma training and CPR training. 

“Sometimes when you have a brain injury you are manic, you are frustrated a lot,” Collins said. “Sometimes you’re yelling, sometimes you’re screaming, and sometimes those situations escalate. And so really trying to keep them trained very well to just lean how to deal with different kinds of problems and different ways to de-escalate those situations.”

Collins has worked in a homeless shelter before coming to Valor on the Fax. She is passionate about helping the homeless population and is actively involved in their lives.

“Some of the residents I knew before I came to work for Valor because they were in the shelter population and I was there before here… so to see them housed was a super exciting part of coming here. I build relationships with them … my people know, I definitely care about them,” Collins said.

During a shift, Collins helped Gomez’s daughter (19) give birth in the shower. She will do whatever is in her power to help her residents feel safe and healthy. 

“Right when I hit the bathroom, I heard the baby screaming and I seen the baby’s head and half his body in her arms and her hands and she was just standing there,” Gomez said.

Gomez told her to push when she was ready and safely delivered the baby. 

“Next thing I know I heard the 911 operator on the phone saying get clean towels. So I had the baby, and I was trying to run to the closet with the baby to get towels and she [Selena] was like give him back to me. I was like here,” Gomez said. “She was like you’re really running off with him … you know, the umbilical cord and all that was still attached to her. So I gave him back to her. Grabbed all the clean towels and said here. Catch one.”

Collins came in and got Selena out of the shower and told her to sit down. She was still in shock. They told Christine to grab a shoe string to tie off the umbilical cord.

“I was all excited. I gotta clean one. So I took on my shoestring and Nicole tied it off the umbilical cord,” Gomez said.

Collins understands that the residents are human beings who have experienced trauma. The staff treats them just like human beings rather than a problem. In moments where they may feel unwanted or unseen, the team will allow them to explain how they feel to prevent miscommunications and practice conflict resolution tactics, making Valor a safe and comfortable place for the residents.

“They’re like real people, too. And I feel like, for some reason, they’re not viewed as that, and they have a story and a background like the rest of us. They’ve been through trauma and drama, and probably haven’t had those resources that they need to cope to get mental health counseling to deal with those things,” Collins said, “They went to drugs to cope and then when you become addicted and you spiral, it’s hard to bring yourself back right and so I really think they’re misunderstood. Sometimes not listened to or underestimated.  

Valor on the Fax plans to continue implementing resources that will help improve resident's daily lives. They are currently working on adding family therapy and after-school programs for adolescents, art therapy, and domestic violence workshops.  

“So also… speaking with the residents on what kind of groups [they would want to be a part of], like, what kind of groups would you really like to see here? What would you really want to participate in?” Collins said.