When people walk into the redesigned building that now houses the Outpatient Mental & Behavioral Health Program on the Colorado Springs campus of Griffith Centers, Jenn Barger hopes they recognize a labor of love.

The new wall murals, decorations, paint scheme and interior reconfiguration of the building give way to different types of therapy rooms, play areas and visitation spaces that accommodate children being treated for mental and behavioral health issues on an outpatient basis and their families.

“You can just feel the warmth, the encouragement, the empathy and the commitment we have to them,” said Barger, the nonprofit organization’s director of events and partnership development. “It’s more than just a prettier building.”

The first phase of an upgrade and expansion at Griffith Centers’ campus in Colorado Springs has been completed, and a grand opening will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 21, at 17 N. Farragut Ave. Attendees can tour the facility, meet staff and learn more about the services available.

The organization provides various educational and skills-based programs for children and adults that have been carefully thought-out to help clients stabilize and advance in their lives.

“If once or twice a week people can come to our building and feel happiness for a few minutes, there’s no better feeling,” Barger said.

As a Program Approved Service Agency, or P.A.S.A., for intellectually and developmentally disabled adults, Griffith Centers was recently approved to offer daily specialized rehab for qualifying adults.

The lower level of the center has been renovated to accommodate those services with separate rehabilitation rooms, a nurse’s office and a campus-wide kitchen, Barger said.

The 45 local P.A.S.A. clients are involved with workforce training, too. One is a receptionist, another cleans and one likes to help in the kitchen, for example, she said.

The $1.7 million project started in 2024, but construction was waylaid due to permitting, inspections and other aspects, she said.

The work is being funded through an ongoing capital campaign that has a goal of raising $3.5 million.

The organization owns all but one of the properties on the tree-lined residential block east of downtown Colorado Springs.

Remodeling the J. Wilkins Opportunity School down the street from the new center at 10 N. Farragut Ave. is up next. The block also includes Griffith Centers’ two residential homes for displaced adolescent boys and a building for children who are in foster care.

The alternative therapeutic school provides customized education with mental health treatment for youths who have been affected by trauma, neglect or disconnection from families.

Students in grades 3-12 have individualized education plans but cannot attend traditional public schools due to their mental and behavioral conditions.

The 99-year-old organization, which began offering services in Colorado Springs 27 years ago, receives federal funding as well as grants and private donations, Barger said.

When it’s all done, the Colorado Springs campus will serve a total of 800 people annually through its work.

In total, 1,434 children and 54 P.A.S.A. adults used its services last year system-wide, which also encompasses several locations in Weld and Adams counties in the Denver area and Buena Vista to the west.

“It’s a safe environment where children and adults can learn and grow socially and emotionally,” Barger said.