Health Care & Insurance  September 17, 2018

Greeley Guest House to become adolescent recovery center

GREELEY — A Longmont family therapist has orchestrated the purchase of the Greeley Guest House and is transforming the property into an adolescent residential recovery center.

The 19-room property at 5401 W. Ninth St. formerly provided luxury accommodations for business travelers and vacationers. Greeley Guesthouse & Suites LLC sold the property Aug. 22 to Ensign Development Group LLC, based in Logan, Utah, for $1.85 million.

Ken Huey, a Ph.D. marriage and family therapist, then leased the property back and will launch Kokua Recovery by Oct. 15, he told BizWest. The center will provide a six-month residential recovery program for teens aged 13 to 17 who are recovering from drug and alcohol abuse.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Business Cares: March 2024

WomenGive, a program of United Way of Larimer County, was started in Larimer County in 2006 as an opportunity for women in our community to come together to help other women.

Ken Huey

“We searched all over anywhere within an hour of the airport, and we stumbled on the Greeley Guest House,” Huey said. “We’re looking to have a very home-like environment where kids can come for some therapeutic help and can also get some schooling on site.

Teens will also benefit from “a very robust recreational program” that will take them on various outdoor excursions, Huey said.

“This was just such a perfect property,” Huey said.

Huey and some financial backers are investing $300,000 into renovations, including to the kitchen, flooring and other areas.

“It’s pretty well ready to go, but we are doing improvements to it to really make it sparkle,” he said.

Kokua is a Hawaiian word that translates to “extending loving, sacrificial help to others for their benefit, not for personal gain,” according to the company’s website.

Huey previously operated a program in central Missouri focused on teens with trauma and attachment issues, such as those who were adopted, abused or neglected. He sold that program four years ago and retired, but he carved out the ability to launch a program focused on drug and alcohol recovery.

“I’ve always wanted to do it, basically for some family issues,” Huey said.

Huey said he’s now seeking to hire nurses and school staff, with plans to employ a staff of 75 at full operation. He’s thus far made two key hires, including Briana Severine, director of clinical outreach, and Amanda Miller, clinical director.

Huey said the Greeley Guest House stopped taking reservations the day the sale closed, with a couple of long-term residents allowed to stay temporarily, with those residents vacating the property in the next several weeks.

Huey currently lives in Longmont but has listed his home for sale, with plans to move to Greeley, Loveland or Windsor. He previously had hoped to launch a similar program in Longmont but encountered opposition to a proposed zoning change, according to the Longmont Times-Call.

 

GREELEY — A Longmont family therapist has orchestrated the purchase of the Greeley Guest House and is transforming the property into an adolescent residential recovery center.

The 19-room property at 5401 W. Ninth St. formerly provided luxury accommodations for business travelers and vacationers. Greeley Guesthouse & Suites LLC sold the property Aug. 22 to Ensign Development Group LLC, based in Logan, Utah, for $1.85 million.

Ken Huey, a Ph.D. marriage and family therapist, then leased the property back and will launch Kokua Recovery by Oct. 15, he told BizWest. The center will…

Sign up for BizWest Daily Alerts