2024 Capital Campaign
Renovating for Care.
Griffith Centers has seen a lot in the almost 100 years of serving our communities. In that time, we have grown and expanded our programs and services to meet the needs of our most under-served communities and at-risk youth. Once again, we are engaged and ready to adapt as we see a demand to do so to address Colorado’s Mental Health Crises.
Colorado's Mental Health Crisis.
Colorado has seen a recent increase in:
- Teen violent crimes
- Teen Substance abuse
- Dependency and neglect cases
- Increase in teen suicide rates
Colorado is also simultaneously experiencing a shortage of high level mental and behavioral health specialists.
Our work is pivotal in current events as Colorado faces a youth mental health crisis, as anxiety and depression have doubled since the pandemic, and suicide is the leading cause of death for young individuals ages 10-24. Drugs and alcohol abuse are also significant issues for our state’s youth, as teenagers in Colorado are 37.4% more likely to have used drugs in the last month than the average American teen. Griffith Centers is at the center of these crises, as our programming and care focus on combating these issues.
37.4%
of Colorado's teenagers more likely to have used drugs in the last month than the average American teen
Source: Drug Abuse Statistics
Responsibility to Our Community.
As we have learned over the years, especially after navigating a global pandemic, there is no “going back” to how things once were. We’ve seen an elevated need for mental health services. We have seen high usage of drugs and alcohol, and mental and behavioral health support needs to be met, especially within the adolescent age groups. And it is our responsibility to meet our clients and communities where they are.
This crisis is a driving force behind our strategic plan and renovation to expand our access to care.
What does this mean for Griffith Centers?
Our goal is to build a multi-discipline approach to treat mental health for underserved populations by removing all the barriers to meet clients’ needs.
We will do this by developing and expanding our programs to address the current mental health challenges that Colorado is facing while making safety a top priority.
- Address Teen Violence and Crime
- Address Teen Substance Abuse
- Address Dependency and Neglect Cases
- Address Teen Suicide
Logistics for Success.
Griffith Centers requires renovation in Colorado Springs to pivot to meet specific needs successfully. Our strategic plan is to relocate our Qualified Residential Treatment Program from the 17 Farragut Avenue building and lodges into the residential homes on campus. We will renovate and transition the building into an operational headquarters for our Outpatient Mental and Behavioral Health Services. The renovated building will allow us to offer:
- Convert the second floor of Farragut into community outpatient, substance abuse, and mental health offices
- Build community on campus to improve culture, cohesion, and connection though use of common spaces
Here's where you come in:
This capital campaign will provide funding to renovate and remodel our building at 17 Farragut Ave, Colorado Springs, CO to expand our services offered to help combat the teen violence, drug abuse, and suicide rates in Colorado Springs and beyond through telehealth. This will also support renovations of our properties to realign our Qualified Residential Treatment Program, maximizing our resources at our Farragut addresses.
To date, a portion of our funding sources are funneling from our Substance Use Grant and Telehealth Grant—providing capital for bandwidth, IT support, as well as capital for the remodel, security, and furniture.
