Turning Point Closes Residential Treatment Programs in a Shift Towards Increasing Outpatient Services

Northern Colorado’s Turning Point Center for Youth and Family Development ends Residential Programs in a shift toward expanding Outpatient Services.

Annie Lindgren | Turning Point

Turning Point Center for Youth and Family Development has successfully served youth in Northern Colorado for the past 56 years. Thousands of youth and families have benefited from its residential and outpatient programs. Turning Point shines in being agile and able to meet the emerging needs of individuals and families through an extensive continuum of care in an ever-changing world.

Turning Point’s Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team have been deeply involved in strategic planning and determining the best way to apply years of experience and service delivery to today’s emerging needs. “We have identified needs and new program opportunities developing in the coming months that we look forward to sharing with you,” shares Executive Director Stephanie Lefke.

During the past two years, the organization has experienced significant factors impacting the success of the residential programs. Factors include statewide shifts in guidelines regarding residential placement, increased needs and risk level of referred youth that doesn’t match the services Turning Point provides, pandemic-related impacts, and struggles to recruit qualified staff for residential programs.

After careful analysis, Turning Point closed both the female and male residential and staff-secure programs in Fort Collins, effective June 2022. By the time of closure, the seven youth in the program had transferred to other programs. Now, Turning Point shifts focus to expanding community-based outpatient services in Larimer and Weld counties in adapting to the growing needs of youth and families in Northern Colorado.

“We haven’t seen a ‘full house’ since before the start of the pandemic,’ shares Annie Lindgren, Development Coordinator for Turning Point. Annie started at Turning Point in 2007, serving a four-year stint as the Case Manager at the female residential program. “Back then, we had packed houses and a cohesive therapeutic environment for youth in our programs. We were turning lives around. When I left in 2011 to pursue a career in Child Welfare, I observed the gradual shift away from residential placement within the Child Welfare system. While this closure marks the end of a long era of memories, growth, and life-changing experiences for staff and youth, it also shares hope in a shift towards better quality and more widely accessible outpatient services that prevent the need for out-of-home placement.”

Next for Turning Point is a Home Preservation Program that will offer in-home preservation services for youth and families beginning July 1, 2022. Then, providing Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) services, starting September 2022, from both Fort Collins and Greeley outpatient service locations. The goal is to become credentialed with various insurance companies to offer these new services to private insurance and Medicaid families.

Turning Point currently offers outpatient individual and family therapy, assessments, and DUI curriculum, alongside our services to DHS and DYS clients. Call us at 970-221-0999 to schedule an appointment for our Fort Collins or Greeley locations. Funding opportunities may be available to those who cannot afford copays or who don’t have insurance. Follow our social media pages and sign up for our newsletter through turningpnt.org for updates on new programs.