Programs & Services
Bridge is Boston’s foremost organization dedicated to transforming the lives of runaway, homeless, and high-risk youth through safe, supportive, and encouraging relationships and effective services guiding youth towards self-sufficiency.
Street Outreach
Street Outreach is Bridge’s daily “foot patrol” of trained outreach workers who make regular, consistent contact with homeless youth on the streets throughout a range of neighborhoods in Boston and Cambridge where homeless youth are known to gather.
Mobile Medical Van
Our Mobile Medical Van, the first program of its kind in the nation, connects with the street outreach team each weeknight. The van is a national model for providing critical care: medical attention, survival kits, clothes, food, and referrals to in-depth, low-barrier, open-intake services at Bridge and at other agencies.
Runaway Hotline
Bridge is the local respondent for the National Runaway Safeline and the Safe Place Network of emergency support for adolescents. Call 1-800-RUNAWAY or text SAFE and your current location (address, city, state) to 4HELP (44357) for help.
Counseling & Support
Bridge’s Behavioral Health therapists are trained and experienced in working specifically with homeless youth and utilize a variety of counseling methods tailored to each youth, including trauma-informed and positive youth development approaches. Counselors “meet youth where they’re at” during their initial intake and set up appointments for follow-up counseling sessions or provide referrals to Bridge’s in-house services or outside agencies.
Transitional Day and Welcome Center Programs
These are Bridge’s drop-in centers where homeless youth receive survival aid each day during the week. At the Welcome Center, youth can have a hot meal, take a shower, access lockers, and do their laundry. At the Transitional Day Program (TDP) youth can participate in life skills workshops, enjoy community meals, and connect with case managers to help them obtain critical documentation papers (identification cards, transcripts, CORI records, etc.).
Education and Career Development
Our Education and Career Development team helps youth earn their high school certificates, start college, learn job skills, and establish meaningful careers. We provide classes to prepare youth to earn their alternative high-school degree on a flexible schedule with small class sizes and rolling admission that enables youth to enroll at any time. We also provide guidance counseling to youth who wish to enter or continue college and may include financial aid incentives to help youth enter and stay in college or job training programs. Our Career Development team offers open job search hours and job training in soft skills.
Emergency Residence
This unique residential program is a short-term transitional residential program for homeless youth who are able to commit to intensive counseling, maintain employment, save 70% of their income, continue their education, and work with case managers to obtain long-term transitional or permanent housing.
Transitional Living Program
The Transitional Living Program is a communal living program in which youth 17-22 years old learn skills to maintain day-to-day life while pursuing employment or education goals, all while benefitting from close guidance by Bridge counselors.
Single Parent House
Our Single Parent House (SPH) is an open-intake, voluntary transitional living program for pregnant and parenting homeless adults and their children—the only one of its kind in the City of Boston.
Independent Housing
Liberty Houses
Bridge offers a variety of supportive services for youth seeking housing. Liberty House and Brunson Liberty House are the next step for young adults who have participated in our Transitional Living Program in Brighton.
Bridge also currently participates in the Rapid Re-housing program for youth based on the “housing first” model. This program with the City of Boston is another avenue to prioritize youth for housing.
If you are between the ages of 14-24 and looking for help, call 617 423 9575
