Turning Point’s History

In 1967, Kathy Winder of the Larimer County Department of Social Services, Jim Dooney of Larimer County Mental Health, and the Honorable Arnaud Newton formed a corporation “for the temporary housing and counseling of juveniles.” Out of a community need identified by these individuals, LARICO Youth Homes, Larimer County’s first shelter care, was born.

In 1976 the agency operated three programs at three separate locations. The current 640 West Prospect Street facility served as the Assessment Program. Clients placed in the program were assessed over the course of ninety days, during which time it was determined whether they would reunite with their families or emancipate. Clients considered appropriate for reunification moved to the 614 South Mathews Street facility, where the Family Therapy Program was located. Those deemed capable of living independently went to the Emancipation Program in Loveland. In 1981, cuts in state funding necessitated the closing of the Loveland facility, and the emancipation clients moved to the Mathews facility. The decision was made to move the Assessment Program clients to the Mathews program and to rent out the Prospect Street house. (Later that year the Prospect house was rented to Mother’s Inn, a home for unwed mothers).

At the time of these changes, the need for both day treatment and substance abuse programs designed specifically for adolescents was becoming increasingly apparent to professionals in the community. The trend towards day treatment emerged in response to legislation requiring that clients be treated close to home and in the “least restrictive environment” possible. Thus, LARICO’s Day Treatment program opened in September 1982. At about this same time, efforts were being made to establish a drug and alcohol program. A group of psychologists and physicians had approached LARICO’s then-Executive Director, Art Bavaso, in an attempt to procure these services for adolescents. After a needs assessment conducted by the Board of Directors substantiated the need for such a program, the decision was made to begin fundraising efforts in the community. A combination of block grants and strong community support resulted in the raising of $120,000. This made possible the remodeling and subsequent reopening of the Prospect house, which would house a new program for adolescents in need of long-term residential substance abuse treatment. In December 1984, the Center for Youth Addictions accepted its first client.

Given the makeup of referrals and its residential nature, the drug and alcohol program evolved into a program for males between the ages of 12-18. For many years referring professionals expressed a desire for a similar program for females in the community. By 1997, it was becoming increasingly apparent that Fort Collins and northern Colorado sorely needed a long-term residential program for adolescent females. Later that year, the Board of Directors approved a plan to combine the Mathews and Prospect residential programs into one program capable of addressing both behavioral problems and substance abuse issues using a Dual Diagnosis Approach. In December 1997 the two programs were joined in the Mathews facility to become the Male Residential Treatment Program. This made the Prospect facility available as the site for a new residential program for females. After additional remodeling to the Prospect house, the gender specific Female Residential Treatment Program opened its doors in March 1998.

The trend of having a waitlist for both the boys and girls residential programs led agency leaders to look towards expansion in order to meet the growing demand for residential services. In 1999, the agency purchased the facility at 801 S. Shields, named The Newton Center after founders Judge Arnaud Newton, designated at the new girls residential program. In July 2000, the girl’s residential program moved from their current site at Prospect into the new Shields Street building. At this same time, Turning Point began a new program in the Prospect Street location called Emancipation Group Home, designed to serve 11 male adolescents in need of independent living skills and services. It became quickly apparent that the higher demand for residential beds was for males versus females, so in 2001, the boys and girls residential programs swapped buildings, designating the Mathews facility as our girl’s residential program and the Shields facility designated as our boys residential program.

In 2003, it became apparent that Methamphetamine abuse was prevalent amongst adolescents making it necessary to design a program specific to meth use. Turning Point developed a “Meth Track” within the existing Substance Abuse Program and included interventions that address cravings, depression, dental issues and vitamin deficiencies. Also in 2003, Turning Point opened the Community Training Center designed to offer staff and community members’ opportunities for training and professional development including the provision of Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) classes. These CAC classes are approved through the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) and NAADAC. The Newton Scholarship Fund was started in December of 2003 using funds provided in the memory of Judge Arnaud Newton, co-founder of LARICO Youth Homes. With the assistance and direction of his family, the Newton Fund was used to provide scholarships for Turning Point employees and other community members who were training to become Certified Addiction Counselors.

2003 was a very busy year for Turning Point, as the agency not only implemented new programming and opened a Community Training Center, but also brought on line the agency’s web-based Organized System of Client Assessment and Records (OSCAR). This database was specifically designed for Turning Point’s record keeping and outcomes research needs. Since its introduction online, OSCAR has been upgraded in 2005 and 2007 in order to meet the changing needs of the agency.

Turning Point then looked towards expansion into Weld County where residential services did not exist for adolescents. In July of 2004, the agency purchased the 1819 Birch Avenue property designated for male adolescents in Weld County. One wing of this facility was designed to serving high mental health needs for clients for the Division of Youth Services. In addition, in 2004 Turning Point purchased a 6 unit apartment building on Stuart in Fort Collins (Structured Transition and Emancipation Group Home, STEP) designed to provide those youth working towards Independent Living a chance to experience increased freedom and responsibility while still having some support from staff.

Turning Point’s expansion continued as the agency set its sights on a school building in Waverly Colorado. This facility was purchased in 2005 and provided education services to its first Turning Point clients in August of 2005. At this time, the facility served as the education program for all boys and girls’ residential clients as well as the Larimer Day Resource Program. This eventually changed in 2009 when the Day Resource Program moved to the agency’s Prospect facility. Turning Point then was awarded a $1.8 million grant from SAMSHA to serve young men ages 15-26 who are in the Department of Corrections ‘Youthful Offender System’ in the reintegration back into the community after incarceration. This program was relocated from an apartment-based program we supervised and implemented since 1997 to our College facility. This grant allowed for more intensive services including counseling and substance abuse treatment. Several other expansions occurred in 2005. Turning Point began offering Community Centered Services designed to offer community based services such as counseling, foster parent consultation, in home services, etc. In addition, Turning Point entered into a lease option on 913 11th Avenue in Greeley in February 2005, starting the Weld County Boys Residential Program while the Birch facility was undergoing remodeling. On May 13, 2005, this program moved from the 11th Avenue site to the Birch Facility.

On May 3, 2005, Turning Point opened the Offense Specific Program at 640 West Prospect facility designed to serve adolescent males with sexual offenses. In order to accommodate this program, the Emancipation Group Home was moved inside the 801 S. Shields facility. Within a year Larimer County determined they would serve youth with sexual offenses through home-based services and not in residential, leading to the closure of the Offense Specific Program on June 23, 2006. At this time the agency housed the Community Centered Services staff out of Prospect.

Unfortunately, as an economic downturn swept the country in 2007 impacting funding for behavioral health services, it became necessary to downsize yet again, forcing the agency leadership to make the decision to close and sell the Birch facility and move these youth into the Shields residential program.

Treatment and service trends were shifting more towards an increased demand in outpatient services. In 2007, Turning Point started a Behavior Coaching program. This program expanded to include coaching services for both youth and caregivers involved in DHS.

In the fall of 2009, referral agents, judicial representatives and school staff approached Turing Point from the Western Slope of Colorado to determine if we could provide services to these remote areas in need. In response, Turning Point opened a Day Treatment Program for ages 10-18 in Carbondale, Colorado serving youth in Garfield and Pitkin counties on July 1, 2010. In addition, Turning Point also began providing Community Centered Services for youth and families in Garfield, Pitkin and Mesa Counties.

In December 2011, Turning Point closed the Garfield Day Treatment Program and ended Community Centered Services on the Western Slope of Colorado due to lack of funding. In addition, the Larimer Day Resource Program was closed on Prospect and a modified version of day treatment was moved to he Waverly School.

In June 2012, the Boys Residential Program was moved form the 801 South Shields building to the Mathews facility. The Girls Residential Program was moved form 614 S. Mathews to 640 West Prospect building due to a ‘right sizing’ to census. Turning Point sold the Shields facility in September of 2013.

Also in 2012, Turning Point began a DUI/DWAI program for individuals needing classes and treatment before getting their licenses back.

In 2014, Turning Point started a Crisis Intervention Program provides a multi-faceted approach to meeting the needs of a broad target population. The program provides 24 hour crisis intervention, a 24 hour hotline, assessment and referral, individual and family advocacy, life skills curricula, substance abuse education and intervention and alternatives to suspensions and expulsions. All programs utilize a case management model to provide services.

In 2019, Turning Point analyzed trends in the industry as well as funding and made some strategic moves related to programming and facilities. With the industry trend to move adolescents more into outpatient services, we designated two facilities to expand our Community Centered Services. In April of 2019, Weld County Day Treatment Program was closed and Community Centered Services were started in the 11th Avenue facility in Weld County. Turning Point leased a facility at 3030 South College and moved our administrative staff to that location, freeing up space at 1644 South College to allow for CCS expansion. During that evaluation, we determined that the due to the trend of decreased residential placements we no longer could support a stand alone, large school facility. Therefore the school was moved into the Mathews facility and we put the Waverly School up for sale.

In 2022, due to changes in the preferred treatment model for adolescents, the decision was made to close all residential treatment programs. The referrals for youth appropriate to Turning Point’s level of care had declined considerably, and the programs were no longer sustainable. In January, 2022, the CTP program closed and in June 2022, boys and girls residential programs closed. Families First Legislation had shifted funding initiatives towards services that keep youth in their homes and communities for services.

Turning Point addressed the shift by increasing outpatient services offered. Turning Point began an Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program, offering 9 hours of groups and therapy, per week, for adolescents aged 14-17. This program provides both Mental Health and Substance Abuse programming in Weld and Larimer Counties. Another new program was the Home Preservation Program, designed to provide in-home services that will help keep DHS involved youth and families together.

The COVID-19 pandemic, lasting throughout 2020-2022, certainly impacted services and funding. Quick adaptations were made in both residential and outpatient programs, in assuring health safety. Telehealth and virtual DUI/DWAI programs began, and residential programs adapted to strict guidelines on community and family visits.

By the end of 2022, Turning Point had moved the admin offices from the 3030 S. College Ave. location, back into a newly renovated building at 1644 S. College Ave. This building had formerly housed the CTP residential program, but as that program ended it allowed space for admin offices to fill those spaces. The other two residential program buildings, also vacated, were listed for sale. Funds from the sale of these buildings were reinvested back into growing outpatient programming and supporting better wages for staff in meeting the increased demand for mental health and substance abuse treatment services.

Today, Turing Point is focused on building out a best in class dual treatment Intensive Outpatient Program from youth struggling with Mental Health and Substance Abuse. In addition, we’re working to build strong families and help the communities we serve addressing mental health and substance abuse.

Among the current suite of services, we offer Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program, Behavior Coaching and Family Services, DUI/DWAI services, and Individual and Family Therapy. Services are offered in-home, in the community, or from either outpatient facility (913 11th Ave in Greeley and 1644 S. College Ave in Fort Collins). We have contracts with DHS and DYS, and also provide services to youth, families, and adults not involved in the system.