Fountain Hill Center expands counseling space in Grand Rapids

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Fountain Hill Center, a Grand Rapids nonprofit that has run a counseling service since 1975, converted a garage on its campus into two new therapy offices. The rooms are ADA-accessible and will host two additional therapists.

Center leaders say demand for counseling has climbed in recent years, and the new space should shrink wait times. One representative said availability would move from occasional waiting lists to near-immediate appointments. The public gets its first look at the rooms at a ribbon-cutting Thursday evening.

Why it matters

The expansion shows a community counseling provider adding real capacity to meet rising demand and shorten wait times in Grand Rapids.

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Key Indicators

New therapy offices added

A garage on the center's campus became two ADA-accessible rooms for additional therapists.

Years serving Grand Rapids

The center was founded in 1975 as The Marriage and Family Center.

Near-immediate

Appointment availability after expansion

Leaders say the new space should end occasional wait lists and open nearly instant appointments.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

People Involved

Amy

Fountain Hill Center representative

Quoted in the center's October 2026 expansion announcement

Sarah

Fountain Hill Center team member

Quoted in the center's October 2026 expansion announcement

Andy Atwood

Founder and first staff member of the center

Founded the organization in 1975

Organizations Involved

Fountain Hill Center

Nonprofit counseling collective

Expanding capacity in Grand Rapids

Nonprofit collective of independent therapists offering individual, couples, family, and group counseling.

Central Reformed Church

Religious congregation

Founder of the counseling center

Grand Rapids congregation that established the center in 1975 to provide community counseling.

Timeline

1975 October 2026

3 events Latest: Yesterday

October 2026
Garage becomes two new therapy offices
Latest Expansion

Fountain Hill Center reports converting a garage into two ADA-accessible rooms for additional therapists. Ribbon-cutting set for October 22.
Yesterday
1986
Center expands to second floor
Expansion

The counseling center grows from the first floor to the second floor of the Bundy House.
1986
1975
Counseling center founded in Grand Rapids
Founding

Central Reformed Church establishes the Marriage and Family Center, later Fountain Hill Center.
1975

Scenarios

Fountain Hill adds more therapists and a new site

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Center leadership in the expansion announcement

The two new offices fill quickly as referrals keep climbing. The center, citing sustained demand, hires more therapists or opens an additional location in the Grand Rapids metro area beyond its current Heritage Hill campus.

Wait lists return as demand outpaces new space

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Local media covering mental health access

The added capacity absorbs demand for a time, but referrals keep rising and the center again reports waiting lists for new clients. The expansion turns out to be a stopgap, not a solution.

Expansion holds steady with no further growth

Likely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Baseline expectation for a modest nonprofit expansion

The two new offices meet current demand. The center runs at capacity without new wait lists and without announcing further expansion, settling into the added space.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

October 1963

Community Mental Health Act (1963)

President John F. Kennedy signed a law funding grants to build community mental health centers across the U.S. It was the first major federal push to treat people with mental illness in their own communities rather than state institutions.

Then

Hundreds of centers opened through the 1960s and 1970s, and state hospital populations began to fall.

Now

The law anchored the modern community-based care model, with nonprofit centers like Fountain Hill as the frontline of outpatient counseling.

Why this matters now

Fountain Hill's garage conversion is a small, current example of that same model: local, accessible counseling built close to where people live.

2020-2022

Post-COVID mental health demand surge (2020-2022)

During and after the pandemic, national surveys recorded steep rises in anxiety and depression. Provider wait lists stretched for months as therapy visits jumped, especially by telehealth.

Then

Clinics and private practices hired rapidly, and telehealth expanded to absorb the wave of new patients.

Now

Demand stayed elevated well past the acute phase of the pandemic, leaving many community providers operating at capacity.

Why this matters now

The center's own representative cites COVID's impact as a reason demand rose, making this expansion a direct response to the post-pandemic care gap.