journeys fall 2017
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Phase One Complete Bridge is pleased to announce that Phase One of the renovation and expansion of Bridge’s Transitional Living Program (TLP) and Single Parent House (SPH) is complete and has reopened. At the beginning of September, our young men and women along with moms and their children, moved back home from their temporary residence. Our young residents were extraordinarily excited to go home and that enthusiasm was felt by all of us at Bridge. For more than 30 years, Bridge’s TLP and SPH have provided not only safe housing, meals, and other basic needs, but 24-hour staffing, in-house case management, counseling support, assistance with day-to-day tasks, daily life and relationship-building skills, access to education, job development, employment assistance, and preparation for a hopeful future. All youth living in the TLP and SPH are either employed or attending school or both, and all youth save 50% of their income. Over the years, since the TLP and SPH were developed, the needs and numbers of unaccompanied, homeless youth have grown. Without housing stability and family support, these youth are more likely than their cohorts to drop out of school or graduate without the academic skill levels needed to succeed in today’s economy. In order to meet these growing needs, Bridge embarked on an ambitious project to rehab, enhance and expand the TLP and SPH to accommodate more than 50 homeless youth, moms and their children, doubling what was previously possible. Additionally, new counseling rooms for oneto-one sessions, private areas for mothers and their children, and reconfigured common areas to cultivate
a more community-based and familial environment, are just a few of the improved features. A former resident of the SPH described her time there by saying, “Bridge helped me provide a better life for my kids; one I could only dream of when I was a kid.” Many of our youth who obtain jobs or attend college continue to experience the demands of finding a safe and affordable place to live. As a result, Bridge continues its long-standing commitment to exploring and securing a range of housing options for youth. We are dedicated to leading the way to stop the continuation of youth homelessness so that Bridge youth do not enter the cycle of chronically homeless adults, but become contributing members of society. When they heard the news, former residents posted on Bridge’s Facebook page:
“ Had some great memories there.” “ Made some lifelong friends.” “Can’t believe Bridge has been helping kids for more than 20 years at that house.”
Funding provided by: Liberty Mutual Insurance Yawkey Foundations National Football League City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development The Commonwealth Office of Housing and Economic Development Major Donors
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Playground dedication L-R: New England Patriots Foundation’s President Josh Kraft, Bridge’s Executive Director Elisabeth Jackson, the National Football League’s Commissioner Roger Goodell, and dedicated plaque.
NFL + Patriots Dedicated Playground and Donated $150,000 for Bridge’s Transitional Living Residence A special thank you to the 100+ volunteers from the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, Gillette, Bank of America, and Bridge’s Board of Directors and staff; to Dunkin Donuts, Papa John’s Pizza, and Pepsi who donated food and beverages throughout the day on September 6th; and to Mahoney’s Garden Center in Brighton who provided landscaping materials at a 50% discount.
It Takes a Team of Donors! The New England Patriots Foundation donated 500 backpacks (via Samsonite) filled with toiletries (via Ocean State Job Lot) and Pats hats to Bridge’s youth during its annual Fantasy Camp on June 5th.
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Mulch is spread at the playground
Kitchen stocked with new dishes, pots, and pans
Landscaping begins
Furniture assembled
Patriots in the Community/ Volunteer Day y Six current Patriots players spent their morning putting the ďŹ nishing touches on the new playground. They painted the fence, unloaded furniture, and assembled the grille. Donated footballs and hats were autographed for Bridge’s residents on September 12th.
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Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Jackson (center) cut the ceremonial ribbon marking the official reopening of the transitional living residences on September 22nd.
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Program Updates
Counseling Program Through its Basic Center/Runaway Program, Bridge marked its one year anniversary as Boston’s licensed Safe Place agency. The following locations are now Safe Place sites: Bridge’s West Street location, Wang YMCA of Chinatown, Bridge’s Mobile Medical Van, Project Trust, and Teen Central at Boston Public Library/Copley.
Education + Career Development Congratulations to the Class of 2017 who received their alternative high school diplomas (HiSET) through Bridge’s Education and Career Development Program. A special thank you to Action for Boston Community Development who donated their space, and speakers Lakenya Rivers and The Freakin Puerto Rican! (Ramiro Torres).
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Housing Initiatives For homeless youth, the need for safe, affordable housing is of the utmost importance. Bridge has moved forward with four new housing initiatives, which can provide housing and prevent long-term homelessness for over 100 youth at risk each year. • The renovation and expansion of our Transitional Living Program and Single Parent House programs, which began last year, is just about complete, with added bedrooms, new counseling and community spaces, updated systems, handicapped accessibility and safety features. (See related stories on the front cover, pages 1 and 2). • We opened a new Bridge residence for young people aging out of foster care – a population of youth at extremely high risk for homelessness, and also began the only rapid rehousing program in Boston for homeless youth, providing immediate access to apartments for the most vulnerable youth, along with case management and stabilization services to enable them to stay housed. • We are close to re-establishing our innovative cooperative apartments for youth who need extra time and support to finish their educations and reach longer-term goals.
Homeless Youth Count Bridge took the lead, during the annual Massachusetts Youth Count, to implement and manage activities, host planning committees, and organize activities during the period when Boston conducts its count. The agency and its Outreach Team are familiar with hundreds of unaccompanied youth in the City and identified volunteer participants and youth to take the survey. Special events and lunches were held at Bridge during the survey week, attracting unaccompanied street youth, who took the survey. In addition, Outreach Workers and volunteers visited city shelters, meal programs, and other services to reach and survey youth. Committee members were trained to identify and survey their participants to further reach homeless youth and those at risk. Bridge collected completed surveys and participated in the process evaluation. Bridge engaged a broad range of partners, including the City of Boston Continuum of Care, the Boston Emergency Shelter Commission, and the Homeless Youth Provider Network, to assist in the identification of unaccompanied homeless youth. Bridge provided stipends to youth volunteers to acknowledge their time commitment and work efforts.
Bridge’s staff help moms and their children celebrate Mother’s Day. bridgeotw.org
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Bridge Happenings Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Brings Lunch for the Kids @ Bridge The Hodgson Hart Group-Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. purchased, prepared and served lunch. Delicious spaghetti and meatballs with a tossed salad, watermelon, soft drinks and chocolate chip cookies were consumed with appreciation by nearly 50 youth and staff, followed by an enthusiastic game of Trivia. The winner received a gift certificate to the Loews Theater and many youth received runner-up gift cards to local retailers.
BOMA Service Day @ Bridge After a competitive screening process, BOMA’s (Building Owners and Managers Association) Board of Directors selected Bridge as its Charitable Partner for the next three years. Benefits include BOMA/Boston membership, recipient of event proceeds, and volunteer services by its members. Most recently, over 40 BOMA members volunteered for their first Service Day to help spruce up Bridge’s headquarters including painting the lobby, cleaning kitchens and windows, and preparing a meal for the kids. They not only donated their time, but all of the supplies.
Bombas Brings Lunch and Socks on Two Occasions for the Kids @ Bridge According to its website: “We wanted to create something scalable. The solution? A company that donates a pair of socks for every pair sold. The more socks we sell, the more we can donate. And how do you sell a lot of socks? Design something better than anything on the market.” A note of interest: Bombas received seed money from the hit television show, Shark Tank. Over 50 youth and staff enjoyed made-to-order deli sandwiches, fruit, salad, and dessert. After lunch, youth participated in a trivia game. The winner received a gift certificate to the Loews Theater.
RCN Charity y Golf Tournament For the third year, RCN sponsored a terrific golf tournament with proceeds benefitting Bridge. A Bridge youth presented at the dinner and awards ceremony.
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2017 Annual Gala and Auction Long-standing Bridge supporters Carol and Stephen Geremia were honored alongside Co-chairs, Gloria Clough, Stephanie Andrews and Marc A. White, Jr. Guests were treated to another banner year of hearty laughs and entertainment by the auctioneering duo: Bob Davis, General Partner at Highland Capital Partners, and The Honorable Martin J. Walsh. Nearly 300 generous and dedicated friends and supporters filled the ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel to help raise over one million dollars to support Bridge’s programs. Guests had the unique opportunity to hear from two Bridge youth, who with poise and dignity presented their remarkable and at times heartbreaking experiences, ultimately relating their amazing successes.
L-R: Mayor Marti J Walsh, Jessica, and Bruce
Bridge Granted $100K by Cummings Foundation This highly competitive grant request began last July: 479 Letters of Interest received, 229 nonprofits were invited to submit full proposals, 100 awarded $100K in June.
Team Bridge Raises over $6K at the Freedom Run This was Bridge’s second year participating through a 25-member team!
Myopia Polo Club For the second year, volunteers Stephen, Juliet and mother Taryn, fundraised at the annual polo youth tournament with proceeds benefitting Bridge.
Whole Foods Partnership-National Homeless Youth Awareness Month Campaigns • Dimes to Dollars Bag Program — at all Cambridge stores • Register Coupon Program — four stores (three Cambridge, one Somerville) enabling customers to donate to Bridge at the point of sale. • 500 Gift bags donated for every guest at Bridge 2 the Future fundraising event.
200 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge, MA 02138 45 Beacon Street, Somerville, MA 02143 115 Prospect St, Cambridge, MA 02139 340 River St, Cambridge, MA 02139
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47 West Street, Boston, MA 02111
Make a donation online at bridgeotw.org
NOV
Bridge 2 the Future
Social and networking event with proceeds allocated to benefit homeless youth served by Bridge. 2
NOV 1-30
Thursday November 2, 2017
Whole Foods Dime to Dollars Bag and Register Coupon Campaigns
Throughout National Homeless Youth Awareness Month this November, Bridge will be the beneficiary of two campaigns at four Cambridge locations. All funds raised throughout the month will benefit Bridge’s youth.
NOV 22
MAR 1-2
19-20
NOV 14-16
for our kids at Bridge Over Troubled Waters.
2018 National Conference on Ending Family and Youth Homelessness
Bridge attends conference in Los Angeles, CA.
MAR
Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB)
Bridge will host a special Thanksgiving dinner
National Summit on Youth Homelessness
Bridge attends conference in Washington, DC.
Bridge attends conference in Kansas City, MO. APR
Annual Gala and Auction
Save the Date! Bridge’s Annual Gala and Auction will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2018 at the Four Seasons-Boston. 7
For more information please contact June Mattioli at jmattioli@bridgeotw.org