As someone who has openly struggled with mental health issues in the past, I'll be the first to admit that it is no walk in the park.

However, I was pretty lucky. I had a loving family and a caring doctor to help get me where I needed to be.

Some people aren't so lucky. There are people with special needs, medical and mental issues, and disabilities who do not have stable families to rely on.

Marisol Jackson, a local mother who has faced similar challenges, realized how much of an issue this is, particularly for families and individuals in crisis.

This is why she started New Hope Youth Ranch, a Christian non-profit that "provides hope and options for families in Larimer and Weld Counties with special needs, medical fragility, disabilities, and crisis situations."

The organization currently resides in an office at the Community Life Center in Loveland (1511 E. 11th St.), but that won't last long.

Throughout 2020, Jackson is working to build an entire campus for those in need, complete with a school, therapy, a teen pregnancy home, daycare, a respite care facility, and more.

"Often, children that are referred to us are struggling, whether it's in school, family semantics, or even those that have attempted suicide," said Jackson. "As they come to us, there's a crisis that's happened and some people are beyond the scope of being able to get mental health services."

New Hope Youth Ranch hopes to fill the gaps in the health care system by helping people who are considered "beyond the scope" of getting care in an innovative way.

Jackson hopes to tailor the organization's experience to each individual, whether they need specialized schooling, alternative therapy, or a break from taking care of a loved one.

"We want to give hope, we want to carry them and help them believe that there is light at the end of that tunnel," said Jackson. "It will get better. We will walk right there with them."

To learn more about New Hope Youth Ranch, listen to the full "Tuned In to NoCo" interview with Marisol Jackson below.

 

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