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History of the Organization
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 BRIDGES has evolved into a multi-service organization with a large 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 and fosters community integration.
For 22 years, child care was provided for children of low income working parents (42 in child care centers and 24 in family day care homes. The child care food program served hundreds of children in 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 dual diagnosed developmentally disabled persons. Additionally, BRIDGES provided vocational training, paid employment opportunities with support, case management and linkage, family involved care, counseling services, and mental health treatment for clients.
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 meaningful work experiences, reducing recidivism, and increasing the probability of maintaining independence.
BRIDGES now provides social rehabilitation for persons with psychiatric diagnoses and concurrent substance abuse problems throughout four (4) residential programs, including (1) which is an IMD Step Down program specifically serving clients discharging from hospitals and IMDs. Additionally, BRIDGES provides comprehensive and intensive outpatient treatment as well as prevention and early intervention services for transitional age youth (14-21). Prevention and early intervention services are delivered utilizing evidence-based practices. Adult services include a center for wellness and recovery services for persons with mental illness who don not require intensive treatment however require continued support.
Breaking the cycle of dependency and institutionalization for adults is best accomplished by providing for comprehensive residential treatment in a family-like setting. Prevention and early intervention strategies often serves persons who are in earlier stages of a disorder, as well as children and youth experiencing first trauma and/or experiencing difficulty with coping, managing family and school, and struggling with initial signs of a psychiatric disorder. As the goal of the program is to break the cycle of dependency and institutionalization, BRIDGES strives to utilize a holistic approach, addressing the multiple needs of individuals we serve, specifically working toward normalization through skill building and employment development. It is the goal of BRIDGES to ensure that clients learn necessary daily living and coping skills, as well as to gain social support for increased level of independence and full community integration. Components of BRIDGES transitional and long term social rehabilitation programs include mental health and psychiatric services, wellness and recovery, health and life skills education, employment readiness and employment opportunities. Outpatient services are centered in the community and are individualized to meet the needs of the family.
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