About Us

Who we are

​BRIDGES Inc. is a private, non-profit organization providing mental health and supportive services to children, transitional age youth, adults, and families affected by mental health disorders and who are Medi-Cal eligible in Los Angeles County.

History

BRIDGES, Inc. was founded and established by Audrey (Al) and C. Allen (Chuck) Braswell in 1976 as a  non-profit 501(c)3 organization, initially to provide child care for children of their nursing home employees, and through their vision and identified community needs, BRIDGES has evolved into a multi-service organization with a dedicated professional and paraprofessional staff which now provides a  variety of social services for persons with psychiatric disabilities and co-occurring disorders. The Braswells, with their foresight, founded an organization based on the premise that everything that touches a client while in treatment affects their growth, fosters community integration and overall improves the lives of people living with mental illness.
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For the first 22 years, BRIDGES supported low income families with affordable childcare in order to help families work and achieve self sufficiency for themselves and their families. Further BRIDGES operated a child care food program serving hundreds of children throughout more than 600 care provider homes in 4 Southern California counties.

Seven houses provided supervised independent living for graduates of BRIDGES Rehabilitation Programs. Five homes served persons with co-occurring disorders. Additionally, BRIDGES provided vocational training, paid employment opportunities with support, case management and linkage, family involved care, counseling services, and mental health treatment for persons with severe mental illness.

Braswells' extensive experience with traditional psychiatric and long-term treatment facilities aspired them to develop aftercare residential treatment that would allow patients to transition into communal houses in the neighborhood, teaching them skills of daily living and providing meaningful work experiences, reducing recidivism, and increasing the probability of maintaining independence.
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Today BRIDGES is proud to offer community-based specialized mental health services and residential treatment utilizing an integrated, multidisciplinary approach, addressing a full range of clients’ needs.  Components of BRIDGES transitional and long- term social rehabilitation programs include mental health, psychiatric and medication services, life skills education and development, and employment readiness and employment opportunities.

Outpatient services are centered in the community and are individualized to meet the needs of each individual or family.  

 

Core Values 

 
  • Integrity- We are honest, ethical, and fair in our business practices.  We treat everyone fairly.
  • Team Oriented- We encourage cooperative efforts at every level and across all activities in the agency to promote and inspire growth and team work.
  • Giving- Our commitment to our clients is deeply engrained in our organizational culture and we go above and beyond every day to promote successful growth and independence in our clients.
  • Personal Responsibility- We each are responsible for the success of our projects and for growing our relationships with our clients, co-workers, and the community in which we serve
  • Empowerment- We strive to empower our clients to make self-directed decisions independently with their best interest in mind, for achievement of their best self.  Further, we empower staff to grow and achieve.
  • Respect- We respect all stakeholders including clients, peers, other team members, visitors, vendors, community partners and everyone that we come across in the course of business
  • Community- We believe that community is essential to meeting the needs of those working towards recovery of health and quality of live.  To this end, we work to develop partnerships and strong relationships in the community.
  • Inclusion- We value difference in our work force and clientele while working diligently to bridge the gaps in communication that naturally occur.  Our clients are our purpose, and the diverse staff brings alive the services fulfilling our goals and objectives for the clients and the organization

What do the Sun's mean?

Each sun represents the three phases of treatment in the residential programs.
Phase I represents Orientation and Safety
Phase II represents Recovery
Phase III represents Discharge Planning
Illustrations by talented Artists Lisa and David Maher.

Our Mission

​is to empower at risk youth, adults and their families to reach their own maximum potential for independence, community integration, and quality of life by delivering programs and services focusing on each person’s strengths to develop the skills and abilities which break the cycle of institutionalization and homelessness.   
This commitment and goal of fostering healthy communities is accomplished by addressing a broad spectrum of mental health needs.  It is through a combination of therapeutic techniques, including counseling, case management, medication support, as well as skill building, education, and other rehabilitation and supportive services that each individual or family is empowered to improve their mental health and well being and achieve recovery, hope, and independence

Our Vision 

​is to be a leading provider in helping to shape a future where mental health is synonymous with healthcare, people are not defined by their mental health condition, and everyone has equal access to prevention and education, early intervention and ongoing mental health treatment, and supportive services needed to achieve and sustain recovery and well-being.
 
 

Key Objectives

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  • Provide evidence- based early intervention services that serve to prevent the onset of mental illness or the development of more serious mental illness
  • Break the cycle of dependency and institutionalization for adults with serious mental illness by offering community-based programs supportive of economic and social inclusion
  • Provide outreach and education to increase the community’s awareness and understanding of mental illness, and help eradicate stigma for individuals and families living with mental health conditions
  • Empower individuals, families, and communities to develop goals and achieve their highest level of functioning and potential
  • Provide culturally sensitive and client driven services 
 
BRIDGES is a contract provider of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and are members of Association of Community Human Service Agencies
 
  • Residential programs are licensed by the State Department of Social Services
  • Mental Health programs are certified by the State Department of Mental Health

FAQ

Our FAQ section is intended to help you learn more about mental health and/or our programs.  

Leadership Team

Executive and Administrative Office
Program and Clinical Leaders
Medical Records, Billing and Quality Assurance
Executive Management and Program Support Team
The BRIDGES Team