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History of the Organization
B.R.I.D.G.E.S., 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 B.R.I.D.G.E.S. 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 B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Rehabilitation Programs. Five homes served dual diagnosed developmentally disabled persons. Additionally, B.R.I.D.G.E.S. 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.
B.R.I.D.G.E.S. now provides psychosocial rehabilitation for persons with psychiatric diagnoses and concurrent substance abuse problems throughout seven (7) residential programs, maintains three (3) care facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities managed by Vista Pacific Enterprise, Inc. in San Bernardino County, and operates a community based work program offering paid employment for those with severe disabilities.
Breaking the cycle of dependency and institutionalization is best accomplished by providing residential treatment in a family-like setting. As the goal of the program is to break the cycle of dependency and institutionalization, B.R.I.D.G.E.S. 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 B.R.I.D.G.E.S. 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 B.R.I.D.G.E.S. transitional and long term psychosocial rehabilitation programs include mental health and psychiatric services, wellness and recovery, health and life skills education, employment readiness and employment opportunities.
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