Blueprint Healthcare Real Estate Advisors, a Chicago-based health care real estate brokerage established in 2013, has taken a significant step to serve the burgeoning behavioral health industry by launching a dedicated behavioral health real estate advisory group. This new division is designed to meet the rapidly increasing real estate needs of behavioral health providers across the United States, a sector that has historically faced unique challenges in securing suitable and scalable facility spaces.
Diana Naylor, Chief People Officer at Blueprint, spoke about the strategic rationale behind the launch: “Blueprint’s existing pipeline, current client base, and proven analytics make us incredibly well positioned to make an immediate impact on a space that has historically faced barriers to entry.” She highlighted that Blueprint’s behavioral health real estate advisory team has already forged strong relationships with operators and capital partners active in the behavioral healthcare space, positioning the firm for immediate and sustainable success.
Leadership with Deep Behavioral Health Real Estate Expertise
To lead the newly created behavioral health real estate advisory group, Blueprint appointed Andrew Sfreddo, a healthcare real estate veteran with extensive experience in capital markets and private equity. Shane Harmon, another seasoned expert with a strong track record in behavioral health real estate, joins as senior director. Collectively, Sfreddo and Harmon bring more than 40 years of experience in healthcare real estate and private equity, including over a decade dedicated specifically to behavioral health care properties.
Their expertise is critical given the complex nature of behavioral health real estate, which often involves specialized facility requirements, regulatory hurdles, and unique operational needs. The leadership team’s combined experience allows Blueprint’s behavioral health real estate advisory group to navigate these complexities and provide tailored advisory services that support both providers and investors.
Early Momentum and Strategic Focus Areas
Even prior to the formal launch announcement, Blueprint’s behavioral health real estate advisory group had already closed multiple behavioral health real estate transactions, underscoring the firm’s readiness and market demand. The advisory group’s work spans a wide range of behavioral health segments, including:
- Drug and alcohol treatment centers
- High acuity mental health hospitals and centers
- Intellectual developmental disability (IDD) and intermediate care facilities (ICF)
- Supportive and transitional housing programs
- Eating disorder treatment facilities
- Autism care services
- Outpatient behavioral health clinics
This broad focus reflects Blueprint’s comprehensive approach to addressing the spectrum of real estate needs within behavioral health care, from inpatient facilities to community-based outpatient services.
Blueprint’s current client base already includes private equity firms, owner-operators, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and behavioral health service providers. Moving forward, the firm aims to deepen and expand these relationships through its behavioral health real estate advisory group to serve the dynamic needs of this evolving sector.
Behavioral Health: A High-Growth Market with Immense Potential
The behavioral health industry is experiencing unprecedented growth and attention, fueled by rising awareness of mental health challenges and the urgent demand for expanded access to care. Valued at $90.5 billion today, the behavioral health real estate market is projected to reach $132.4 billion by 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3%.
This growth trajectory signals robust opportunities for real estate development, investment, and operational expansion within the sector. Blueprint recognizes behavioral health as a prime growth area that aligns well with its expertise and network.
Shane Harmon remarked, “Our unparalleled access to healthcare capital and facility inventory through the behavioral health real estate advisory group will allow providers to attract growth capital and mobilize new facilities without any of the hurdles seen before.” By connecting operators with capital and identifying strategic facility opportunities, Blueprint aims to reduce friction in a market that has often struggled with limited real estate options.
Leveraging Data and Analytics to Overcome Barriers
A hallmark of Blueprint’s service model is its reliance on data and analytics to inform decision-making and unlock market potential. Behavioral health care has long been constrained by challenges such as zoning restrictions, regulatory complexity, and financing hurdles that can slow or prevent new facility development.
Andrew Sfreddo explained, “Our behavioral health real estate advisory approach gives us the chance to make an immediate impact on a space that has historically faced barriers to entry.” By leveraging proprietary analytics and deep market insights, Blueprint provides clients with actionable intelligence to navigate these barriers more effectively.
Blueprint’s analytical rigor and comprehensive market intelligence give clients an edge in competitive real estate transactions, enabling faster and more strategic facility expansions aligned with patient demand and operational needs.
The Synergy Between Behavioral Health and Senior Care Real Estate
Blueprint Healthcare’s CEO, Ben Firestone, has highlighted the natural synergy between behavioral health and senior care real estate, positioning behavioral health as a logical next frontier for REITs and investors. According to Firestone, similarities in patient demographics, regulatory frameworks, and care delivery models make behavioral health real estate a promising area for diversification or repurposing of existing assets.
“I think that all the demand drivers are there,” Firestone noted in an interview, referencing statistics that underscore the wide gap between the mental health care needs of the population and the availability of quality treatment options. This disparity creates a powerful impetus for facility growth and real estate development within behavioral health.
Blueprint’s Role in Shaping the Future of Behavioral Health Real Estate
With its new behavioral health real estate advisory group, Blueprint Healthcare Real Estate Advisors is positioning itself as a vital partner for operators, investors, and capital providers seeking to grow their footprint in behavioral health care. The group’s deep expertise, existing client relationships, and data-driven approach equip it to support the sector’s complex and evolving real estate needs.
As demand for behavioral health services continues to climb, the need for specialized real estate solutions will only intensify. Blueprint aims to enable providers to expand access and improve patient outcomes by streamlining the acquisition, development, and financing of behavioral health facilities.
By breaking down historical barriers and connecting stakeholders across the behavioral health ecosystem, Blueprint is helping to shape a future where patients can access timely, high-quality care in modern, well-suited environments.
Blueprint Healthcare’s behavioral health real estate advisory group launch signals a significant shift in how behavioral health real estate is approached — with greater focus, expertise, and capital access — helping to unlock new growth and improve care capacity nationwide.
