- Encircle Ogden, serving LGBTQ teens and young adults, will hold a grand-opening ceremony on Saturday.
- The facility, the fifth Encircle operation in Utah, provides therapy and other programming for the community and is also meant to be a safe space.
- Encircle puts a focus on assuring the mental well-being of the LGBTQ community, not political advocacy.
OGDEN — A facility aimed at promoting the mental well-being of LGBTQ teens and young adults will finally be opening its doors, offering therapeutic services and serving as a safe space for the community.
"We want this place to feel like a home," said Ana Chavarri, associate vice president of programs for Encircle.
Encircle already operates facilities in Provo, Salt Lake City, St. George and Heber City, and Ogden will become the newest addition to the organization. It's been a long time coming — ground was ceremoniously broken for the facility in March 2021. After several stops and starts, grand-opening activities are set for Saturday, Sept. 6, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Encircle Ogden, 2464 Washington Blvd. in Ogden's city center, will formally launch operations Monday, Sept. 8.
Saturday's ceremony "will be more than just a grand opening," said Alex Cutini, the Encircle CEO. "It's also a celebration because this is a really incredible resource to have in the community."
Encircle is distinct among LGBTQ groups in Utah in that it isn't about political advocacy, but about helping safeguard the mental well-being of younger members of the community and preventing suicide as they grapple with their identities. The focus is on members of the LGBTQ community aged 12 to 25 as well as their parents, key elements of their support system.
"We're not talking about religion or politics or anything like that. We're focusing on mental health services that really empower the family and help them stay together, whatever that looks like for them," Cutini said.
The nonprofit organization's focus is on younger people to help strengthen their mental health while they're living at home and still ideally have a familial support system around them. "It's almost like we're helping these trees grow solid roots so that once they're out of the house, things can happen and they're prepared and equipped to face the hardships of life, but with more strong mental health and a deeper sense of who they are," Cutini said.
Encircle will offer individual and family therapy and serve as a safe space, providing a range of informal "affirming services," including peer-led support groups, Chavarri said. Those tapping into the organization's offerings can also hang out at the facility after school, meet with others and relax. Encircle's space on the first floor of the new, three-story structure includes a music room, art room, dining room, kitchen and a "friendship circle room" for facilitated conversations.
Creative programs, a key element of Encircle, "help youth decrease their suicidal ideation and decreases anxiety, depression, antisocial behaviors," Chavarri said. Therapy space is on the second floor of the building.
While a cross-section of Encircle reps and local leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony in 2021, with completion initially expected by early 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic, supply-chain issues and other factors slowed the process. With the building now ready to go, operating hours after Encircle Ogden formally launches operations on Monday will be 3-8 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Encircle put up $1 million toward the cost of the structure, with Nilson Homes, which handled construction and actually owns the building, providing the rest. Jed Nilson, founder of Nilson Homes, will occupy additional space in the structure, housing a nonprofit holistic healing organization there.
