The new Boys & Girls Club of Northern Utah Community Campus offers a true safe haven for families and individuals suffering from challenging domestic situations. 

By Bradley Fullmer

The campus officially opened in March, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that was attended by state and federal lawmakers, nonprofit leaders, contractors, and residents from Box Elder County.

For Freeman, the project carried emotional significance beyond schedules and construction milestones.

“One of their core values is that kids are fed,” Freeman said of the Boys & Girls Club organization. “That was something that I didn’t really have a lot of growing up—sustainable access to food. Coming from a pretty low-income family, it was a good opportunity to have that [security] but also have a space where I could interact with people and feel safe [...] where I could play and just be a kid.”

The development was designed as a collaborative “one-stop shop” model that places multiple services in a single location, helping reduce barriers for families seeking assistance. In addition to youth recreation and educational programming, the campus will provide infant and toddler care, preschool services, community gathering space, case management and shelter resources for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Community Center is a pre-engineered metal building with a large interior space that doubles as a regulation-sized basketball court that can be broken into two smaller courts with six basketball standards. Amenities include a kitchen, restroom facilities and storage rooms to facilitate a wide variety of events and activities. 

The New Hope Crisis Center is a secure 24-7 facility that includes 12 residential units that can be subdivided to support up to 30 people. On-site resources such as job training, court advocacy, sexual assault support services, and domestic violence support services are inclusive. On-site amenities include full-service dual kitchens with some in-unit kitchenettes, independent temperature control in each unit, secure play areas, and laundry services.

JeuneElle Jeffries, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Utah, said the project emerged from years of collaboration between nonprofits, local businesses, elected officials, and private donors.

“Businesses in Box Elder County stepped up and said social services affect my business; social services affect my employees,” she said. “This is good for my employees. This is good for my neighborhood.”

Funding for the project included local and private contributions alongside federal rural development assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We braided a lot of different funding for this,” Jeffries said. “We [utilized] money from the USDA that had never been done before, and they figured out how to do it with us.”

Freeman said the Boys & Girls Club facility was envisioned as more than just an after-school building. The project was designed to function as a long-term community anchor.

“The community center is going to be utilized by the Boys & Girls Club for the most part but also have it serve as a community hub for the surrounding area,” Freeman said. “They’ll have sports, large events, fundraising opportunities, and things like that. It will definitely be a great way for the Boys & Girls Club to continue to grow and facilitate resources for the community.”

Freeman praised Jeffries for relentlessly pushing the project forward.

“She fights tooth and nail for the funds for her facility,” he added.

While the Boys & Girls Club component resonated with Freeman’s own childhood experiences, the New Hope Crisis Center portion of the campus carried an even more personal connection. Freeman said his mother once relied on domestic violence shelters while raising him and his siblings.

“That one is definitely near and dear to me,” he said. “Growing up being in and out of those types of facilities, it was very sterile, and you almost felt like it was another treatment center." He said the design team from Ogden-based Mountain West Architecture intentionally worked to create a more welcoming environment. "This new facility is much more inviting—the design team did a great job."

The expanded New Hope Crisis Center facility will significantly increase the organization’s ability to provide shelter and support services.

“The new building will double our capacity,” said Anneli Robert, a Victim Assault Advocate for New Hope. “We’re trying to make sure that we can help more people when it comes to having somewhere to stay within our program and helping (victims) get back on their feet. We’re trying to make it like a one-stop shop for services, just for the whole county."

Freeman said one of the most meaningful aspects of the project is that families will now be able to remain together while receiving services—something many older shelters did not allow.

“Growing up, those shelters were only for the women that were affected, not necessarily for the families,” Freeman said. “There were times where we were sitting outside while [our mother] was inside getting services. This facility will allow families to come in together and partake in the facilities together. So, super cool."