If you hear the term “residential treatment,” you might picture housing with added supports, or a last resort option when everything else has failed. At WellPower, residential treatment is something very different, and far more impactful. It is intensive behavioral health treatment delivered in a community setting for people with the highest levels of clinical need.
For hundreds of people each year, this level of care is the difference between cycling through crisis and finding a real path forward. Here are five facts about residential treatment at WellPower that might surprise you.
1. Residential Treatment Is Not Housing with Services Added
One of the most common misconceptions about residential treatment is that it is primarily a housing program. At WellPower, that assumption could not be further from the truth.
Residential treatment is mental health and substance use treatment, first and foremost. While services are delivered in a residential context, these programs are not permanent housing and are not designed to function as housing with additional supports layered on. Instead, they are licensed mental health treatment programs (for the regulation superfans among us, they’re licensed as Level 2 Mental Health Transitional Living Homes under Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration).
That distinction matters. This mental health licensure would not be possible if the primary purpose of residential treatment were housing rather than treatment. The regulatory framework exists because these programs deliver clinical care that must meet strict standards for quality, documentation and medical necessity. Every individual served receives documented clinical services, with regular notes completed daily, just as they would in any other intensive behavioral health setting.
2. Residential Treatment Serves People with the Highest Levels of Need
WellPower operates 11 residential treatment facilities with varying lengths of stay, from 7 days up to 2 years. We have facilities for a range of gender identities, as well as a specialized facility for adults over 55 years of age. Treatment needs beyond homelessness are required for entry into the program, such as a behavioral health treatment need, medication monitoring or supervised care.
Residential treatment at WellPower is designed for adults whose behavioral health conditions are complex enough to require 24 hour, structured care, but not hospitalization. The population served is high acuity, with disproportionately high rates of serious mental illness, substance use disorders, medication nonadherence and histories of homelessness.
For many people in these programs, traditional outpatient treatment is simply not enough. Layered barriers such as instability, untreated symptoms and lack of consistent support make it nearly impossible to engage meaningfully in lower acuity care. Without a residential context, many would fall back into a cycle of emergency rooms, psychiatric hospitalization, jail involvement and homelessness.
Residential treatment exists to interrupt that cycle. By providing round-the-clock structure, clinical oversight and daily support, these programs allow people to stabilize long enough to engage in treatment that would otherwise be out of reach.
3. Residential Treatment Is Tailored, Not One-Size-Fits-All
Each individual in WellPower’s residential treatment programs receives at least 10 hours of services each week, all provided onsite. Depending on individual needs, services may include individual and group therapy, medication management conducted by Qualified Medication Administration People (QMAPs) in partnership with psychiatrists, intensive case management, safety assessments and life skills training.
In addition, residential treatment includes a dedicated intensive case management team that supports care coordination, discharge planning, access to physical health care and basic needs such as food security. Treatment is individualized and responsive to each person’s evolving needs as they engage in recovery.
Importantly, residential treatment is staffed by licensed clinicians and peer specialists. Peer specialists bring lived experience with behavioral health conditions, homelessness and often residential treatment itself. This combination of clinical expertise and lived experience creates trust and connection that many people have never experienced in traditional systems of care.
4. Residential Treatment Is An Efficient Investment
From a taxpayer funding perspective, residential treatment is a smart investment. Residential treatment is reimbursed at a single “per diem” rate that covers a wide range of individual services (see #3 above), which are combined in different ways to meet each person’s unique needs and goals. This per diem rate is significantly lower than the per-service cost – think of paying one price to eat at a high-quality buffet rather than ordering each dish individually – and far below the cost of hospital or inpatient care.
Importantly, this funding covers only the behavioral health services provided through the residential format. WellPower receives no funding for room and board, building maintenance or facility operations – all costs that would widely be considered “housing.” We cover these costs through our operating budget.
Despite these constraints, residential treatment at WellPower operates with high efficiency. Regular utilization reviews, including by third party regulators and auditors, ensure services are being delivered to people who truly need this level of care. In the most recent review, the program scored 100%.
5. Residential Treatment Produces Measurable, System-Level Impact
The impact of residential treatment at WellPower is not just felt by individuals – it is measurable across systems.
In 2025 alone, WellPower provided residential treatment to 389 individuals, delivering approximately 38,000 bed nights of care – the highest number of any community mental health center in Colorado. Outcomes data and statistical analyses show clearly that residential treatment programs decrease both psychiatric hospitalizations (by 55% in 2024 and 65% in 2025) and jail days (by 65% in 2024 and 18% in 2025) – decreases that are both positive and often statistically significant.
Behind these numbers are hundreds of individuals who had consistent access to high-acuity mental health treatment – often for the first time – rather than cycling through crisis services or remaining unsheltered. Without residential treatment, hundreds more people a year would be experiencing homelessness and not receiving the care they need.
These outcomes matter. They represent people stabilizing, engaging in care and moving toward safer, healthier lives. They also reflect reduced strain on emergency rooms, hospitals, first responders and the justice system – systems that often become default providers of care when appropriate treatment options are unavailable or inaccessible.
In Their Own Words – Participant Perspectives
By combining clinical rigor, lived experience and a residential setting, WellPower’s residential treatment programs offer something rare: the time, space, support and dignity people need to truly stabilize and heal. And for individuals, families and the broader community, that makes all the difference.
But don’t take our word for it – hear from a few people served by residential treatment in their own words:
“This place will change your life. It’s not just going to take you off the street, it will change your way of thinking and you will receive the medical and psychiatric attention you need.” – Andrew, who overcame acute suicide ideation, heroin addiction and layered mental health conditions. Learn more about Andrew’s story here.
“When I started treatment, I felt so much safer than when I was living on the streets. My treatment team has helped me to understand that I can’t give everything of myself all the time. I need to value myself as much as I value giving to others.” – Bridget, who has worked through a past of domestic abuse, human trafficking, substance use and suicide ideation. Read more from Bridget here.
“Beeler house to me means everything. Without Beeler house, I would still be on the streets, still be doing drugs and I wouldn’t be taking my medications that are prescribed to me. I am so grateful for the Beeler House and all of the staff, especially the evening staff that have helped me along my journey. I thank the director and all of the staff that are here because they receive me with open arms, and I am glad to be a client of WellPower.” – Steven, who has been “Resident of the Week” six times
“I don’t even know where to begin, it has been so helpful for me to reintegrate back into society and the real world. When I came in here, I wasn’t sure if it was safe or not, I hadn’t felt safe in a long time. But it slowly gained my trust and helped make me feel safe and comfortable like I belonged somewhere in a world of homelessness and addiction for such a long time. Finally addressing issues and stuff felt really good. Plus, taking my medications was always cumbersome. Having Beeler to help with my medications took an extra load off of me so I could focus more on my recovery and not so much on times of medications, and when to do them. It has given me the confidence to get back out there and start accomplishing things in the world again, like getting my Social Security started. It feels truly like a home would feel if I had one.” – TJ
How to Access Services
Because residential treatment is a behavioral health program, it is an option for people in WellPower services. Ready to explore mental health support for yourself or a loved one? Click here to learn about accessing services at WellPower or give us a call at (303) 504-7900. We gladly welcome Medicaid members, and we accept a range of Medicare and commercial insurance plans.
The 988 Colorado Mental Health Lifeline is available for free, immediate, human support 24/7. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health, emotional or substance use concern, call or text 988 or live chat at 988Colorado.com.
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