This story is a capstone project by CU Boulder’s News Corps students Maryjane Glynn, Taylor Gurtman and Bella Siskind.
Kenneth Stansberry, 63, was a man of many professions, following in his father’s blue-collar footsteps. He worked in lots of capacities, including building maintenance for over 40 years.
Then, his career came to a shocking halt when he experienced two traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, 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 mine was a 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.”
Stansberry 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 was inadequate. His first accident caused him to suffer from nerve damage in his right arm. The damage also affected the right side of his body, including his face.
“I’d wash these dishes a thousand times,” Stansberry explained. “I knew each [dish] individually, but I didn’t know where to put them.”
Once Stansberry realized he could not fully recover from his accident, he decided to try to start fresh. “I rebuilt my life from there,” he said.
But a year later, while Stansberry was holding a door open for someone, his shoe slipped on the pavement. 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 Stansberry’s ability to work in maintenance, perform everyday tasks, and pay his rent. It 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. After applying for permanent housing in Mesa and Denver Counties turned up fruitless, he contacted Denise Baugh, a Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado staff member.
Baugh directed him to Valor on the Fax, a trauma-informed residence catering to individuals grappling with chronic brain injuries and homelessness. The 72-unit apartment building—located on Trenton Street and East Colfax—serves as a vital support system. Resources provided by Brothers Redevelopment and Brain Injury Alliance empower residents to confront the daily physical and mental challenges they endure.
“Tears are rainbows of the soul when you’re happy to tears,” Stansberry said about being accepted into the program at Valor on the Fax.
Fellow Valor on the Fax resident Christine Gomez said the program has transformed her life. Gomez and her two daughters, 19-year-old Selena and 16-year-old Mia fled domestic violence and abuse. A man they were previously living with assaulted her and her daughters and “didn’t know how to keep his hands to himself,” according to Christine.
Before Valor on the Fax, the mother of two paid $95 a night at a motel in an attempt to find a new, safer environment. She said the family struggled with immense stress and anxiety about their living situation. While Christine and her daughters lived in Lakewood, human services helped her connect to Valor on the Fax.
“The guy we’re running from came after us on three different occasions out in Lakewood. He’s in jail now, thank God,” Christine said. “It’s a relief to feel safe. 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.”
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.
“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.”
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 applications and making phone calls to get assistance, he has not given up on trying to pursue the counseling and resources he needs to live.
“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. 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. 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.
“You could get a lot of resources from other people too, and the people here are nice,” Christine said. “They like to help out, so they have no problem giving you advice or resources that you could turn to that you would never even think of.”
Nicole Rice-Collins is among those striving to make a difference at Valor. As Brain Injury Alliance’s director of residential services, she works with the staff to help clients cope, learn skills and receive mental health counseling. Three resource navigators are assigned to the residents at Valor on the Fax. Resource navigators assist with everything from day-to-day necessities to helping arrange mental health services and applying for rent assistance. Whatever they need, she said, that’s what the staff is there for.
“If they need help filling out applications for services in the community, whether it’s 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,” Rice-Collins said.
Rice-Collins will do whatever is in her power to help Valor residents stay safe and healthy. After Christine’s daughter Selena gave birth in the shower, Rice-Collins was there to make sure post-delivery ran smoothly, tying the umbilical cord off with a shoestring.
“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,” Christine said.
Christine told her daughter to push when she was ready and safely delivered the baby.
Part of Valor on the Fax’s trauma-informed design is training staff in how to deal with residents with traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs. Rice-Collins said those who suffer from TBIs can get frustrated easily and situations can spiral quickly. She said it’s important to keep staff well-trained so they can de-escalate conflicts.
Before joining the team at Valor on the Fax, Rice-Collins worked in a homeless shelter. She is passionate about helping the homeless population and is actively involved in their lives.
“Some of the residents [here] I knew before I came to work for Valor because they were in the shelter population and I was there before here,” she said. “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.”
Rice-Collins and the Valor on the Fax team understand that residents are human beings who have experienced trauma, not a population to be swept under the rug. In moments when residents may feel unwanted or unseen, the staff encourages them to explain how they feel to prevent miscommunications. Practicing conflict resolution tactics makes Valor a safe and comfortable place for the residents.
“It’s hard to bring yourself back right and so I really think they’re misunderstood. Sometimes [they’re] not listened to or underestimated,” Rice-Collins said.
Valor on the Fax plans to continue implementing resources that will help improve residents’ daily lives. They are currently working on adding family therapy and after-school programs for adolescents, art therapy, and domestic violence workshops.
“They’re real people, too. And I feel like, for some reason, they’re not viewed as that,” Rice-Collins said. “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.”